Barron Too Much for Lely in Regional Rematch

It’s not often a team gets a chance to avenge a playoff loss just six days after it happens. But Lely had that chance against Barron Collier Thursday night, February 16, in a packed Cougars’ gym. For at the first quarter, it looked like they might do it. Lely trailed just 21-18 at the end of the first quarter. But, alas, the Cougars turned back the Trojans, weathering a torrid 10-point first quarter output from Trojans freshman Sam Powell, to pull away to an easy 80-57 regional quarterfinal win over the Trojans.

Powell appeared unstoppable early, ending up scoring 15 of his 17 points in the first half. Senior Dave Louidor, playing his final game as a Trojan, was impressive on both ends of the court, spreading 15 points over four quarters of solid effort.

Barron blitzed the Trojans the previous Friday at the same venue, 76-59, but Lely still earned the eighth seed in the regional playoffs. Barron showed why it’s the region’s top seed with an impressive second half effort, outscoring the Trojans 35-22.

After the game, a disappointed Lely coach Fritz Jacques praised his seniors and took a moment to envision a bright future for Trojans basketball.

“Very tough ending, man” Jacques reflected, “but the seniors, they’ve set the standard for our program to get back to where they need to be. Even when things went bad, they were very competitive. They came to practice every day, worked hard, and gave us a chance to play for a championship. I think this senior group definitely did that.”

“The future is very bright,” Jacques continued. “I have three freshmen and two sophomores on varsity. I have three freshmen who were the main guys on the JV squad. We just have to keep winning in the classroom and winning in the community. It all comes together in the end.”

The Trojans end their season 11-15. They beat Naples and finished runner-up to Barron Collier for the district championship. Barron Collier (22-5) advances to host Mariner in the regional semifinal on February 21.