Wesley Chapel used a stifling defense and some clutch free-throw shooting to upend Gulf 29-27 in the Class 4A-Region 2 semifinal at the Bever-Hicks gymnasium at Gulf High.
Using a triangle-and-two defense, the Wildcats (22-3) harassed and frustrated the Buccaneers (23-6) all night, holding Gulf to 33 percent shooting from the field and forcing 11 turnovers.
Gulf led by two, 20-18, going to the fourth quarter, but Wesley Chapel's defense stepped up, allowing the Wildcats to take the lead early in the quarter and hold on late. After Shantel Houston missed the back end of a one-and-one with five seconds left, Nicole Adams missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Slowing the tempo , the Wildcats held the Buccaneers without a point for a 10-minute spell spanning the first and second quarters.
The slow play was all part of a plan, according to Wesley Chapel coach Karim Nohra.
"I wanted it to be a low-scoring, methodical game," Nohra said. "We didn't want to get down early to them like we have in the past by double digits."
Gulf came out in the third quarter and looked as if they were going to pull away. Back-to-back layups by Mills and Leighlani Paselio gave the Bucs an 18-13 lead with just over two minutes left in the period.
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