The Wellington High School boys varsity basketball team remains alive and in contention in the current Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 7A state tournament.
On Saturday, Feb. 21, the Wolverines, seeded sixth in the Region 2, will travel to Orlando to play the second-seeded Titans from Olympia High School in the regional semifinal. The Wolverines earned the right to travel to Orlando by defeating the Jupiter High School Warriors on Saturday, Feb. 14, 66-47, in a regional quarterfinal game.
Wellington’s win over Jupiter followed a disappointing 64-37 loss at home to Palm Beach Central High School on Saturday, Feb. 7 in the championship game of the District 8 tournament. However, despite losing the district championship, Wellington’s strong 16-8 record earned the Wolverines a bid into the Class 7A state tournament.
Palm Beach Central, as the winner of the district tournament, received an automatic bid, as sixth seed, into the state tournament. Unfortunately, the Broncos lost 62-51 to Olympia High School on Saturday, Feb. 14 in their regional quarterfinal. Palm Beach Central concluded its season with a 19-8 record.
While Wellington head coach Matt Colin was quick to congratulate Palm Beach Central for its strong win over the Wolverines, he’s aware of the fact that his team was not 100 percent healthy when facing the visiting Broncos.
“It was definitely a tough loss in the district final,” Colin said. “What people didn’t know, outside of our locker room, was that we were dealing with a pretty significant flu bug that week, and our rotation was sick that night. That’s not to take anything away from Palm Beach Central. They were physical, played well and made shots. But you could see we were a step slow trying to battle through it. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t our night.”
A week later in Jupiter, Wellington was at full strength, and it was clearly evident.
“Against Jupiter, we were finally healthy again, and it showed,” said Colin, now in his 18th year coaching the Wolverines. “More importantly, our guys completely bought into the game plan and executed it at a very high level. It was probably the most connected we’ve played all season — sharing the ball, defending, communicating and supporting each other.”
When the Wolverines take the floor against Olympia, it should be a well-played game. Going into the matchup, Olympia is fifth while Wellington is 11th in the current Class 7A rankings.
“At this point in the playoffs, it comes down to discipline and toughness,” Colin said. “We have to defend at a high level, rebound and value every possession.”
Colin has the highest level of respect for Wellington’s upcoming opponent.
“Olympia is very well coached, and you don’t beat teams like that unless you’re connected for 32 minutes,” Colin said. “If we play together, take care of the ball, know their personnel, defend and bring consistent effort, we’ll give ourselves a chance.”
If Wellington defeats Olympia, the Wolverines will then play the winner of the Oak Ridge versus Windermere game on Saturday, Feb. 28 in the Class 7A, Region 2 final.
Ultimately, all the teams in the Class 7A tournament are chasing a spot in the state final four, which will be held March 13-14 in Jacksonville on the campus of the University of North Florida.
During Colin’s 18 years as head coach at WHS, he has led the team to a handful of final four appearances. And, in 2015, the Wolverines won the Class 7A state championship.
