LAKELAND – After a quick timeout it would have been rather easy for sophomore Jasmyne Roberts to be a bit nervous stepping up to the free throw line for a second time in a tie game with 13.8 seconds left.
However, Roberts was anything but nervous and sank the second free throw to give Bishop Kenny a 49-48 lead over Southeast.
Despite the free throws, the Crusaders still needed one more defensive stand to seal it.
Southeast had one final chance but turned it over with 2.0 seconds left to give the Crusaders the ball back.
Yet still it wasn’t over, as the Seminoles knocked the ball off a Crusader player on the ensuing inbound giving the Seminoles one final chance with 0.9 seconds left.
However, the Seminoles desperation pass intended for 6-foot center A’moni Waiters never got there. A desperation three-pointer fell way short of the rim giving Kenny a 49-48 come from behind win over Southeast in the Class 6A state semifinals at the RP Funding Center.
The game plan for both was quite simple, for the Seminoles keep feeding the ball inside the post to Waiters and for the Crusaders feed Roberts in the post while drawing the defense inside and allowing its three-point shooters Rachel Dolmovich, Maddie Millar and Rose Dolmovich uncontested three pointers.
Both seemed to work as Kenny had a hard time containing Waiters, who finished with 18 points and surprisingly no fouls. Roberts who drew the assignment of covering Waiters struggled at times to cover the taller Waiters and picked up her fourth foul of the game with about a minute left in the game.
The back and forth game saw 17 lead changes throughout the game as both teams would fall behind and then retake the lead minutes later.
Of course its easy to stay in contention when your shooting 91% percent from the free throw line as the Crusaders finished 11 of 12 from the charity line.
Even more impressive was the fact, Kenny players were fouled numerous times in the act of shooting three-pointers and knocked down all three free throws.
Ahead 11-10, Millar was drilled in the act of shooting a three-pointer but went to the line and knocked down all three free throws to extend the lead to 14-10.
Down 16-10, Southeast would go on a 7-0 run to take a 17-16 lead as the momentum had shifted back to the Seminoles temporarily.
However, Rose Dolmovich was fouled on a three point attempt and calmly converted all three free throws to give Kenny a 21-20 lead.
Waiters gave the Seminoles a 22-21 halftime lead on a put back in the final seconds of the first half.
Millar nailed a three-pointer seconds into the third quarter to give Kenny a 24-22 lead.
Roberts drove through the lane for a lay up and Millar followed with another three-pointer to give the Crusaders some breathing room with a 29-24 lead.
However, the Seminoles wouldn’t go away getting a three-pointer to cut the lead to 29-27.
Rose Dolmovich answered with a three-pointer of her own to give Kenny a 32-27 lead.
Both teams headed into the final quarter tied at 35-35, eight minutes from securing their seat into the title game.
Southeast took the lead at 40-37 and switched to a four corners offense to kill the clock successfully chewing nearly two minutes off the clock.
That’s when Roberts took over the game as a turn around jumper to cut the lead to 40-39 with 4:35 left in the game.
Yet every time Kenny would cut the lead, Southeast had an answer to hang on to the lead. McCarthy made one of two free throws to cut the lead to 42-40, but the defense collapsed as Waiters broke free on a long pass for a lay up to extend the lead to 44-40.
Roberts drove through the lane for a lay up, Rose Dolmovich added a three-pointer and Roberts posted up Waiters to give Kenny a 47-44 lead with 1:30 left in the game.
After a Southeast turnover, Roberts drove inside the lane and picked up her fourth foul on a charge with less than a minute to go.
Waiters took over and led the Seminoles on a 4-0 run to give them a surprising 48-47 lead, forcing Kenny coach Charlsea Clark to take a timeout with 25.8 seconds left.
Coming out of the timeout, the plan was to put the ball in the hands of Roberts and drive inside or likely kick it out to one of her teammates out on the wing.
Roberts saw a hole and drove inside the post and was fouled as she tried to drive in for a lay up with 13.8 seconds left.
Bishop Kenny (29-2) will play Plantation American Heritage (20-9), a 52-24 winner over Weeki Wachee, in the Class 6A state title game tonight at 7 p.m. at the RP Funding Center.
