Lely Dream Ends in Regional Finals

Port Charlotte's home crowd was rockin' from the opening tip Thursday night, February 22, as their Pirates battled Lely for the 5A Region 3 title. The Pirates jumped to an early lead with aggressive, physical play - perhaps a little more physical than the Trojans are used to - and in the end won 63-49 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicates.

In a testimony to the rough style of play, the Pirates ended up making 26 out of 43 free throws, compared to 12 out of 23 for the Trojans. It was the difference in the game.

“This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever had for a girl's game,” exclaimed a Port Charlotte high school official as the home crowd cheered on their Pirates. Meanwhile, the visitor’s side was suspiciously empty at tipoff. Where was the Lely Family?

The Pirates jumped out to a 13-6 lead with :27 left in the first quarter. As the game wore on, the Lely crowd slowly began filling in. It turns out many of the Trojans' supporters - including their cheerleaders - were dealing with rush hour traffic on I-75. The 7:00 PM start made the 80-mile trip a rush hour nightmare for those who didn’t leave early enough.

By halftime, the "Go Lely, Go Lely Go” chant was ringing from Lely's side of the bleachers. A banter between the fanbases echoed back and forth across the court. School spirit and community were on full display.

“We play off the energy,” said Jalen Outten, Lely head coach. “We definitely play off the energy.” 

The energized Trojans trimmed the lead to one point at 23-22 with 1:46 left in the first half. They went into the locker room at halftime down 28-25. Lely came out strong in the second half and tied the game, 33-33, with 7:26 left in the third quarter. The Trojans took their first lead, 34-33, at 4:38 in the third quarter. Suddenly the Trojans had turned the momentum.

“The third quarter, they came out and punched us in the face,” said Mike Progl, Port Charlotte Coach. “Number 44, I think her name is Sofiia, she's a very good player. I mean, she pulled up for one, I think she was like 15’ behind the three-point line and nailed it.” 

Lely’s Ukrainian players, Sofiia Kiritsa and Sasha Rubanova, led a spirited second-half rally. Rubanova made a sweet move to score an underhand layup to give Lely a 37-35 lead with 2:20 left in the third quarter. Then Kiritsa hit a pair of three-pointers, and Rubanova hit a three-pointer herself. The Trojans found themselves up 46-39 with 6:38 left in the game. It looked like they were in charge.

Then momentum shifted again.

"I think they played with more energy,” Outten said of the momentum shift. "We both play the same game. So, whoever plays with more energy, the ball's going to fall in the basket for them. We weren't playing defense like them. It's all momentum. It's defense. God's going to reward you at the end when you play defense. They just got that momentum swinging late in the fourth quarter and we couldn't come back from it.” 

“In the fourth quarter, we buckled down and they listened to their assignments and they got it done,” Progl said. “Lely did a great job pressuring the ball. The purpose of a press is to speed you up. You just have to take your time and pick it apart. And they finally started to listen and started picking it apart. And we held on to the ball. At the end, we made some big free throws, we made some big layups. And Lely was off.”

Lely went cold, scoring only three points in the final 6:38. The three-pointers that were swishing earlier started clanging off the rim. And the Pirates played stronger as the clock wound down. But Outten said you haven’t heard the last from his team. They’ve come too far in the past three seasons.

"Everybody's proud of my girls,” Outten said. “Two years ago, we were 3-20. We built this thing up. You can say we got transfers or whatever, but the girls that have been in my program, they showed up tonight. Look at my three seniors." 

Hulyessha Prudhomme, Outten’s senior point guard and team captain, played possibly the best game of her career. Normally a three points per game scorer, Prudhomme came through with 12 against Port Charlotte. She always brings aggressive defense and solid ball handling and floor generalship. Outten’s other seniors, Lashawnda Dareus and Jeade Leo, also acquitted themselves well in their final game. As for transfers, the Ukrainian pair of Kiritsa and Rubanova, both sophomores, came through big against the Pirates. Kiritsa scored 20 and Rubanova 10. The pair are living with a host family in Naples while their homeland is under siege. They are apart from their family and friends in Ukraine.

"We lose three people,” Outten said, "but we'll be back. I'm letting you know. We will be back here. They didn't pick us to win the district. We like that type of stuff. We prove people wrong. That's what we did. We don’t need to hang our heads down. We weren't supposed to be here but we showed up.”

It all goes back to the Lely Family. The Lely supporters were waiting for their vanquished heroines as they left the gym to head back to Naples. The Lely family had formed a semi-circle in the parking lot to console the players.

"It’s a relationship,” Outten said. "This is bigger than basketball. We’re close, man. We’re a family. You go research Lely and you’ll find Lely’s a community. They bought into this relationship. These kids, people don't know this, but last night they went to practice and went straight to work. They're different. Basketball is almost secondary. I try to show them what you can do with this little ball. You can be great. These kids come from rough backgrounds, but they showed up tonight. I couldn't be more proud of them.”

Lely finishes 20-9, their regional final loss ending a 15-game winning streak. Port Charlotte (19-11) plays American Heritage on March 6 at 7:00 PM in the Class 5A state semifinals in Lakeland.