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Region boys basketball: Hillsborough 69, Land O'Lakes 58

 
Hillsborough power forward Zachary Carter (35) looks to pass the ball as Land O'Lakes defenders cover him in the first half during the Class 7A region boys basketball quarterfinal at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla. on Thursday, February 16, 2017.
Hillsborough power forward Zachary Carter (35) looks to pass the ball as Land O'Lakes defenders cover him in the first half during the Class 7A region boys basketball quarterfinal at Hillsborough High School in Tampa, Fla. on Thursday, February 16, 2017.
Published Feb. 17, 2017

TAMPA — The sound of a roaring crowd at the final buzzer on its packed home floor Thursday should have been a celebration-worthy time for Hillsborough.

A year after making a surprising run to the region final for the first time since 1996, the more seasoned Terriers had just opened this postseason with a 69-58 triumph over Land O'Lakes in a Class 7A region quarterfinal.

Yet as Hillsborough coach Chris Ward motioned for his players to head straight to the locker room after exchanging postgame handshakes with their opponent, his frustration was not masked.

"I'm not one of the guys that just because we win, I'm going to say it's all good. It's not good," Ward said sternly. "It's bad basketball."

He had good reason to be ticked.

In what should have been a stress-free victory, with Hillsborough looking darn-near unstoppable at times and leading by 22 midway through the fourth quarter, the Terriers (25-3) were instead clinging to life as the Gators embarked on a 15-0 run that cut the advantage to as little as eight in the final minutes.

But on six straight free throws to stop the bleeding and time fortunately on its side, Hillsborough managed to weather it.

The start was almost issue-free. Led by Zachary Carter's aggressiveness inside — and team-best 17 points — Hillsborough didn't allow Land O'Lakes (15-8) to hit a field goal for the initial 6 1/2 minutes and built a 25-7 lead in the second.

Even as the Gators cut that lead to eight in the closing seconds before halftime, the Terriers made up for it with five 3-pointers to open the second half. It was almost too easy.

"Before the game, I was telling myself that nobody out here could guard me or stick with me," said Carter, a University of Florida football signee. "I brought that mindset into the game and it paid off."

They just didn't finish, allowing Trivone Hill (game-high 20 points) and Land O'Lakes to ruin any feel-good vibes and nearly pull a stunning upset.

Ward knows it can't happen again.

"Until we learn how to play for 32 minutes, we're going to have issues," he said. "We've been working our (butt) off to be fundamentally sound. We have the basics. We compete. But … parents and fans and the media and social media, they reward kids. My job is to make them better, hold them accountable and help them to find that greatness.

"I'm not settling."