PHOTOS: Windermere boys basketball advance to state finals

Sports
High Schools

The Windermere High boys basketball team topped Sarasota High in the FHSAA Class 7A state semifinals, 59-39, to clinch its spot in the state championship game.

"We knew we had to make some shots to win this one and we did early on," said coach Mark Griseck. "I thought our defense throughout the game was pretty solid, so that helped us stay in it when we weren't making shots."

Windermere was led in the win by senior guard Korvantae Hatter, who scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Senior big man T.J. Drain added 17 points and six rebounds.

"I really didn't want this to be my last high school basketball game," Hatter said. "I had to sit out my whole junior year, so I really wanted to keep playing, I want to win a state championship."

With the win, the Wolverines moved to 26-5 on the season and earned the chance to play defending state champions Columbus High, which has won three consecutive state titles.

author

Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.