Hagerty upends Colonial for first girls basketball district title

© J.C. Carnahan/Orlando Sentinel/TNS Hagerty won its first girls basketball district championship on Friday in a rematch vs. Colonial. Both teams advance to the FHSAA region quarterfinal round on Thursday against opponents to be determined.

Hagerty senior Kiara Harris hesitated while standing alone atop the 3-point arc — ball in hand — with nearly one minute remaining in regulation Friday night.

After she easily draining an uncontested shot attempt that eventually forced overtime, the Huskies (26-1) claimed their first district championship during a 51-50 win vs. Colonial (18-8) in the Class 7A District 4 final.

“I was struggling to find my shot during the game, and then I thought, ‘This one’s gotta go in; it’s gotta be the one,’” Harris said. “It was one of the best moments I’ve felt in a long time.”

Colonial entered the game at No. 2 in Florida High School Athletic Association state Class 7A power rankings. Hagerty was No. 5.

A sluggish start to overtime for both teams gave way to a thrilling finish in what was a physical and up-tempo contest.

Senior point guard Milan Santos put Colonial in front 50-49 on a corner 3 with 11.9 seconds to go. Hagerty’s Hannah Kohn responded with a pair of game-winning free throws with 3 seconds left after drawing a foul on a drive to the rim.

“This was our get-back game,” Kohn said. “I think we just wanted it a little more this year.”

Hagerty, which blew a 19-point lead in the second half at Colonial during last year’s district final, kept pace with the Grenadiers despite trailing much of the way.

Colonial built a 34-28 advantage with 1:25 to go in the third quarter before Kohn energized the home crowd by nailing back-to-back 3s to tie the score.

The Grenadiers appeared in position to put the game out of reach while leading 46-41 with 2:26 left in regulation. But after junior Camryn Patterson scored a bucket and Colonial turned the ball over on an offensive foul, Harris knocked down just her second field goal to knot the score at 46.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted a game this badly,” Harris said. “There was a lot of emotion going into it. As a team, we wanted to show what we were worth, and I think we did a good job of that tonight.”

Colonial was called for a travel on its final possession of regulation and again on its first possession in overtime.

Kohn, who led all scorers with 29 points, gave the Huskies a 49-46 lead when she drilled her sixth 3 moments later. She hoisted the shot while positioned in the corner nearby her dad, Josh Kohn, who has served as coach this season for the boys and girls teams.

“It was kind of surreal sitting on the bench and watching the girls do this. It’s special,” Josh Kohn said. “That’s why you play the game, to have moments like that.”

Celina Forine scored 8 points while Patterson added 7 points for the Huskies, who carry a 22-game win streak into Thursday’s FHSAA 7A region quarterfinals.

Junior Carmen Richardson led Colonial with 14 points. Raeanne Eccleston and Jasmynne Gibson each finished with 10 points.

The FHSAA will unveil region tournament brackets Sunday at 2 p.m. on its YouTube channel.

Four district champions and four additional at-large teams based on FHSAA power rankings, which will include Colonial, advance to one of four region tournaments in each classification.

Defending 7A state champion Dr. Phillips (25-1), the top-ranked team in the state among all classifications, and 3-time defending 4A champs Lake Highland Prep (20-6) were among other Orlando area district championship winners Friday.

M’Lani Vitela led Winter Springs (21-5) with 14 points and Heaven Sims had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists during a 43-36 win in 6A-5 vs. rival Lake Howell (10-9).

District final results

7A-2: Spruce Creek 60, Lake Mary 49

7A-3: Ocoee 43, Apopka 40

7A-4: Hagerty 51, Colonial 50 (OT)

7A-5: Dr. Phillips 64, Oak Ridge 53

7A-6: Harmony 43, Osceola 37

6A-5: Winter Springs 43, Lake Howell 36

6A-6: Edgewater 55, Lake Minneola 53

6A-7: Lake Gibson 47, St. Cloud 38

5A-5: Ocala Vanguard 35, Tavares 29

5A-7: Gateway 51, Jones 34

4A-6: Eustis 86, The Villages 50

4A-7: Lake Highland Prep 79, Bishop Moore 44

3A-4: Master’s Academy 51, Father Lopez 32

3A-6: The First Academy 52, Windermere Prep 43

2A-6: Mount Dora Christian 53, Deltona Trinity 36

2A-7: Faith Christian 66, Central Florida Christian 59

2A-8: Legacy Charter 52, City of Life 33

This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.

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