With the aid of Kevin Burnell's fervent scoring and an adjustment in philosophy, Land O' Lakes left the Wesley Chapel gym with a 74-69 victory Tuesday night.
"In the first half, we just took so many quick shots," Land O' Lakes coach Dave Puhalski said. "Off balance, out of our offense. [We] quit taking bad shots and started playing prudent defense."
The teams went back and forth, each connecting on long 3-point shots on their first baskets. Wesley Chapel (3-1) held the lead for most of the first period, though they could never separate themselves with a comfortable advantage. But early on in the second period, the Wildcats gained traction, taking control of the game.
The squad jumped out, 22-17, on a 3-pointer form Eric Legler. A short time later, Daniel Rivera, gathered in a rebound, scoring on the second effort. That forced the Gators (5-1) to call a timeout.
"We expected it to be hard, but I think we came out a little soft in the first half," said Burnell, who led all scorers with 29 points. "We just had to get things set up in the second half and just play a little bit harder."
After falling behind by as many as 12 points in the third period, Land O' Lakes took its second lead of the night when Burnell converted a steal into points with a layup, giving his team a 51-50 advantage.
Burnell essentially put the game away on a drive along the baseline, throwing up a shot, which fell in as he was fouled. The free throw gave Land O' Lakes a 72-69 lead with 1:11 remaining in the game.
The victory gives Land O' Lakes the early lead in the Class 5A-District 7 standings ahead of Wesley Chapel.
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