Lely Advances to Regional Semi-Finals

The Lely girls’ basketball team, missing one starter and playing with two starters who were under the weather, nonetheless turned in a workman-like performance in downing crosstown rival Barron Collier in the regional quarterfinals on Wednesday, February 14 at the Trojans' gym. After sputtering at the outset, the Trojans led Barron Collier throughout the game - sometimes by as many as 20 points - in cruising to a 49-32 win. The Trojans traveled to Parrish Monday evening, after the Coastal Breeze News deadline, for a regional semi-final showdown with Parrish Community.

Missing for the Trojans was starting guard Lashanda Dareus. Weakened by illness were Lely’s Ukrainian standouts Sasha Rubanova and Sofiia Kiritsa. Hulyessha Prudhomme and Kaleah Estrada immediately took up the gauntlet for the Trojans. Between Prudhomme’s slashing drives to the basket and aggressive defense, and Estrada’s rebounding and shot making, the Trojans found themselves up 15-8 at the end of the first quarter. They never looked back. Lely has now won 14 games in a row.

Estrada scored five points in the opening quarter and Prudhomme four. Estrada ended up being the game’s high scorer with 15 points, along with teammate Tara Louissaint. Kiritsa, a 19 points per game scorer, was held to 11 points, but her three three-pointers came when the Trojans needed them most.

But the real story for the Trojans was their hounding defense. Barron Collier’s record-setting shooter Peyton Heffelfinger was held to 10 points, with only one three-pointer.

“She had 16 the last game against us,” said Lely Coach Jalen Outten. "So, we just tried to limit her points.”

Outten was pleased with the win but is tempering his enthusiasm. 

"I still think we’ve got some work to do,” Outten said. “We didn't play our best basketball. We were sick. We're down one of our starters tonight. Our two Ukrainian girls, they're sick. We have a lot of flu going around, so we're still not at 100 percent.”

Outten has been scouting Parrish Community.

"Parrish is the number one seed in our district,” he said. "They have a tall post that can play in the point guard position. I want to see how we go on the road and be good. We got an hour and a half drive. It's something different. We've been playing at home the last four games, so it's going to be a little different.”  Lely (19-8) goes into the semi-final as the 4-seed.