Schools
Gulf Falls to Wesley Chapel in District Playoffs
The Gulf High School Buccaneers are defeated by the Wesley Chapel Wildcats Wednesday night, but there's still hope for the upcoming seasons.
The Buccaneers ended their basketball season on Wednesday night, losing 64-58 to the Wesley Chapel High School Wildcats Wednesday night.
Gulf walked away from two previous games played between the teams with victories. Unfortunately, the istrict Playoffs are a whole new season, and Gulf’s ended early.
The first half looked as if Wesley Chapel was the only team on the court.
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“They out-hustled us,” said Gulf Head Coach Buck DeWitt.
Gulf was giving up easy shots to the Wildcats and turned the ball again and again. In a short period of time, Gulf turned the ball over four times in a row, and the Wildcats were able to make points out of each takeaway.
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The difference in the first half of the game was Wesley Chapel’s ability to take advantage of the opportunities Gulf gave them.
The second half started off in Wesley Chapel’s favor, but a quick timeout called by DeWitt helped steer the Bucs toward a comeback.
DeWitt said they wanted Chris Gregory to start the game with a couple three-pointers, but that didn’t happen. However, in the second half, Gregory hit a three-pointer, stole the ball back from the Wildcats and nailed another three-pointer within seconds. Soon after, Rohan Blackwood drew the Bucs within 9 points with a steal and monstrous slamdunk.
The game got pretty steamy when the teams got closer in points. The Bucs and Wildcats were in each others faces twice within minutes during scuffles for the ball, but no one was ejected.
Wesley Chapel missed some opportunities, which led to the Bucs coming within 3 points with 25 seconds left in the game, but the team couldn’t pull the rabbit out of the hat in the final seconds.
There are high hopes for the upcoming seasons in Gulf High School boys basketball, as the Bucs only lose one senior, and return solid players in freshman Rohan Blackwood, sophomore Chris Gregory, and sophomore Bruce Hector. All three players ended the night in double-digit scoring. Blackwood led with 23-points, while Gregory and Hector ended with 11-points.
“We have the making of a great team,” said DeWitt. “We’re learning and (practicing) from this situation for next year.”
