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Wildcats Have Fond Memories

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By LEE DIEKEMPER

Tribune correspondent

Published: February 25, 2009

WESLEY CHAPEL - Hitting a cold shooting streak in the second half is a never a good thing, but having it happen in a postseason game is the worst of timing.

That is what happened to Wesley Chapel High's girls basketball team Saturday night.

That bad timing and the disappointing 52-28 loss to Lake Howell in the Class 5A region final couldn't wash away one of the best girls basketball seasons in the school's history.

Wesley Chapel coach Karim Nohra had hoped to keep the game close to make a late run. After Janelle Mills' basket with 1:02 left in the third quarter cut Lake Howell's lead to 34-26, the table had been set.

Then, the Wildcats lost their shooting touch, and Wesley Chapel would score one more field goal the rest of the night.

"We just went cold," Mills said. "We couldn't hit shots; we missed layups. It happens."

Lake Howell used a ball-control offense to keep the clock running. The Silver Hawks shaved more than two minutes off the clock to start the fourth quarter, painting the Wildcats into a corner.

"I didn't have any problem with that," Nohra said. "We wanted to slow the game down. We didn't want to run with them. They are a running team, and when playing a good team like that which runs, you have two choices: run and get blown out or slow the game down and stay in the game."

"We definitely were trying to stop the ball and slow down the game," Mills said. "To get the game down to more of our level, we had to limit their shots."

The Wildcats' season had some memorable highlights, including the development of Mills. By the end of the season, Mills had established herself as one of the best inside players in the Tampa Bay area, and the best in Pasco County.

She missed 19 games with a broken right wrist, but she returned for the playoffs and dominated. She constantly swatted away shots, disrupted offenses in the paint and controlled the boards.

Mills is one of two seniors on the team. The other is Alexis Braynen. After the loss, Braynen couldn't let the sting of the loss tarnish the memories.

"I had a lot of fun," Braynen said. "I played positions I've never played before and actually enjoyed it. I had a great time with the team. We all got along. Even when Mills was injured I stepped up my game, and so did my teammates. I think we did a very good job."

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