Look Out for Lely

The Lely family was out in full force Friday night, February 9, in a raucous Trojan gym as the girls’ basketball team staged a second half turnaround to win the district championship over Barron Collier, 44-35. The Trojans were riding a 13-game win streak heading into regional play on Valentine’s Day at the Lely gym, possibly a rematch against Barron Collier, after the Coastal Breeze News deadline.

The Trojans appeared shaken early against Barron Collier after a series of referee calls went against them. The Cougars made full use of their chances and managed to stay 5-10 points ahead of the Trojans throughout the first half. The Cougars led 24-19 at halftime and seemed to have the momentum on their side.

"I don't know if you call it nerves or the calls that went against us,” said Lely coach Jalen Outten after a prolonged celebration on the gym floor with Lely supporters and students.

“We fought through it,” Outten said. "I'm proud of my girls. That was the message all week. Just don't let referee calls control our game.”

Some of the calls against Lely’s Ukrainian players, Sofiia Kiritsa and Sasha Rubanova appear to be related to the differences between the American game and the European game. The Euro step, a move where an offensive player picks up their dribble, takes a step in one direction, then quickly takes a second step in another direction, is often called as traveling. It’s an instinctual move for players like Kiritsa and Rubanova.

As the game wore on, more and more Lely students filed into the gym—many of them members of the boys’ soccer and basketball teams. Suddenly, the crowd became a factor in the game, with chants of Go Lely, Go Lely Go echoing through the gym. The crowd noise was comparable to some of the big Lely boys’ games over the years. The student section was so crowded that at one point one of the students was passed up and down the bleachers by his fellow students.

The Trojans came out a different team in the second half, playing aggressively and with confidence. The crowd fed off the team’s effort.

"We played defense,” Outten said of the Trojans’ second half turn-around. "We sat down and played defense and did what we did. I relied on two people that have been here and know what I want. And that was my three seniors, Hulyessha Prudhomme, Lashawnda Dareus, and Jeade Leo. They got the job done.

Suddenly, Barron Collier started committing the same kind of turnovers in the second half that the Trojans were committing in the first half. The roar of the crowd seemed to incite the Trojans. By 6:48 in the third quarter the Trojans took their first lead, 27-25. It was a lead they never relinquished. 

Offensively, the Trojans were led by sophomore Sofiia Kiritsa, who scored 19 points. Sasha Rubanova and Dareus had six points each. Outten was proud of the job Prudhomme did on Barron’s leading scorer, Peyton Hefflefinger, in the second half. Hefflefinger scored 16 points but only three in the second half.

“She did what we asked her to do,” Outten said of Prudhomme.

As the crowd on the gym floor began to thin out, Outten reflected on the drama that had just unfolded.

"It’s unbelievable,” Outten said. "It's something that we spoke about three years ago and now it’s a reality. We really did it. I'm proud of my girls." 

If the Trojans did indeed meet Barron Collier in the regional tournament opener, it would mark the fourth meeting for the teams. The Trojans and Cougars split their two regular season games.