1A State Final: Madison County pulls it out in OT over Wildwood
LAKELAND – A year ago, Madison County made its first state tournament appearance in school history. The Cowboys lost to eventual champion Wildwood, 65-63 in a back and forth game. On Tuesday, the second part of the newborn rivalry was…
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Continue ReadingLAKELAND – A year ago, Madison County made its first state tournament appearance in school history.
The Cowboys lost to eventual champion Wildwood, 65-63 in a back and forth game.
On Tuesday, the second part of the newborn rivalry was even more contested as Madison County (25-3) beat Wildwood 62-60 in one overtime.
2019 Madison County guard Vincenta Mitchell sunk both free throws with 4.1 seconds left following a technical free throw called on 2020 Wildwood (18-12) guard Marcus Niblack. Despite a turnover by Madison County on the ensuing inbound, Wildwood couldn’t muster a good look with three seconds left and the Cowboys proceeded to storm the court in celebration.
Final Score in OT (Class 1A Final):
Madison County 62
Wildwood 60The Cowboys win their first state title in school history.
????leaders
Madison
Vincenta Mitchell 20
Travis Jay 16@WMHSWildcats
Alfred Corbin 18
Marcus Niblack 18@coach_demps
@MadCoFball @TravisJay18 pic.twitter.com/dtGtZZsr3G— ᴊᴀᴋᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴘᴇʀ (@JakePerper) March 5, 2019
It was seniors, Mitchell (20 points) and Travis Jay (16 points) that stepped up when they needed to the most. Jay, who had no points at halftime and was not in the flow of the offensive found his groove scoring 16 second half points including 12 in the fourth quarter and overtime. In fact, the FSU football signee had four straight points in overtime before fouling out with just over two minutes left.
“He (Mitchell) has been banged up for four years,” Madison County coach Allen Demps told Prep Hoops. “To see him come through in crunch time and deliver like he did today, it is outstanding. I can’t ask for anything more from a senior, a four-year letterman. It is good for me to see him step up on the biggest stage.”
The second half was a good start for the Cowboys as they trailed 29-19 at the break, but limited Wildwood to just eight points in the third quarter.
“When we’re playing Cowboy basketball, that is what it looks like,” Demps said. “We man up, full court and trap in the backcourt and rotate.”
There were nine lead changes in this game as Wildwood’s biggest advantage was 13 points in the second quarter as Madison County’s was four points in overtime.
2019 Tallahassee Community College baseball signee Dilan Lawson was instrumental in the semifinal win over Paxton on Monday morning. Lawson only had five points in this one on 2-of-7 shooting but his energy and assertiveness are always apparent. He was part of the Madison County basketball team as a sophomore but sat out last season due to personal reasons.
“It is a whole lot better. When I couldn’t play last year, I thought I was never going to play basketball again,” Lawson said. “To come back and play with my brothers and coach it is amazing. I’m speechless. It is sensational.”
As for Wildwood, the Wildcats made its third straight state final appearance. They lost to West Gadsden in 2016 and beat Blountstown last season. So they’ve been through it all in Lakeland.
First-year Wildwood coach Marcus Hawkins alluded to the early misses in overtime as issues down the stretch.
“It is tough. The game could have gone either way,” Hawkins said. “We had a couple of bunnies there in the end like someone was shoeing them out. At the end of the game, the scoreboard said we lost so that is what we have to go with.”
In terms of the technical foul call on Niblack with the first overtime nearly over, Hawkins kept it brief.
“We have been asking the last two games about protecting the shooter and driving to the hole hard,” he said. “The build-up of a tough game and you want to beat your competitor. Emotions took over and the call was made. It was a judgment call.”
The Wildcats return of a slew of starters including Niblack (18 points), 2021 forward Alfred Corbin (18 points) and 2021 guard Nate Mikell (8 points). Also, rotational player 2021 forward Joe Poyser.
Niblack has heard the most from FGCU, UNF, Stetson and West Virginia, Hawkins said. Also, Mikell has a handful of offers for football while Corbin made major strides in his first season with the program.
“I’m super excited for the future,” Hawkins said. “We have a good young core.”