PALM BEACH GARDENS — Friday’s championship for District 13-6A is set.
Semifinals at William T. Dwyer High on Wednesday saw five-seed Atlantic pull off the upset of No. 4 Seminole Ridge, winning 58-52, before No. 8 in Florida Blanche Ely dealt a 70-48 loss to the Dwyer Panthers on their home court.
Coming into the doubleheader, there was a glimmer of hope that Dwyer would advance past last winter’s region runner-up. Just a week earlier, coach Jeryl Akins’ underdogs shocked Palm Beach Gardens, the area’s top program and the No. 23 team in Florida, with a dominant 52-44 defeat.
He knew then what would need to happen to survive Blanche Ely.
“Defense is the main thing,” Akins said that Thursday.
The Panthers proved they could do it, doubling up on Gardens senior Kyana Poitier, the No. 8 rebounder in the state, averaging 15 per game. But that didn’t take place against their Pompano Beach-based foes despite a gritty 18-point performance from Katie Nash.
Twenty-four points from Ely’s Janessa Kelley, who stunned from downtown with six 3-pointers — four in the third quarter — were too much for Dwyer to overcome. The Tigers totaled 11 treys on the evening.