Hawthorne needs second half push to beat Graceville for 1A title
LAKELAND, FLORIDA- There's not many times that Hawthorne head coach Cornelius Ingram goes into halftime without a little bit of yelling in his speech.
Ingram decided to take a different approach this time around in Saturday evening's Class 1A state championship game. He chose to sit down and speak calmly to his team. Needless to say, it worked.
Needing a stout team defensive effort and the ability to consistently attack the rim across the board, the Hornets were able to narrowly defeat the Tigers 43-40 at the RP Funding Center.
Hawthorne traveled just around two hours away and now can take the nice trip up U.S. Highway 301 with another trophy in hand.
“This message was totally different from all of my other messages," Ingram said. "I didn't yell. I actually sat down and I never sit down (at halftime) or talked calmly. I said whenever you guys wake up, let me know when you want to go win a state championship back to back. Probably the first time I've ever talked that calm."
Hawthorne High School won its first ever state championship in girls basketball last year. Having reached the big game now for the second consecutive season, the Hornets made the necessary second half adjustments in order to go back-to-back.
The Hornets entered the game looking to pull off winning back-to-back state championships under Ingram, who also led the football team to a consecutive 1A title back in December.
They were able to pull off the incredible feat under Ingram for the second consecutive season and just 85 days in between his football and girls basketball championships.
Graceville's ability to hit outside shots throughout the game were evident early on, with players like Charity Fountain (15 points) and Brianna Adams (13 points, five assists) hitting from the perimeter.
The Tigers were doing everything right in the first two quarters, leading at one point 16-5 and went into intermission ahead 18-9.
That’s when Ingram was able to give his team a pep talk at halftime and make adjustments in order to change the trajectory of the game. It short order, it worked.
Working the ball inside to Jhalea Jackson (12 points, 13 rebounds) proved to be one of the differences in the second half for the Hornets. The junior forward bullied her way in the paint and helped give the team the lead in the fourth quarter with 3:39 remaining.
It would be Jackson and guard De'Mya Adams (16 points) down the stretch leading the effort to pull off the comeback win. Adams, would not be denied, as she made multiple clutch baskets in the final minutes.
Though the Tigers, who came from over six hours away, came up short, Graceville’s magical run through the playoffs will be one to remember around the tight knit rural community.
“It’s just an honor to coach this group of girls,” Graceville head coach Jon Habali said. “Just an unbelievable experience here with these girls. We felt like the year of experience helped us. These seniors have more to do with their life ahead.”
-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl
