WEST PALM BEACH — For awhile Saturday night, it looked like the last girls’ basketball game at Twin Lakes High was going to be the last girls’ basketball game for Twin Lakes.
As they had the last two postseason games, Twin Lakes came out cold in the first quarter of their Section 3-4A championship against Apopka.
Saturday, however the Rams snapped out of the cold snap and are headed for the state final four after a convincing 65-52 victory over the Darters.
Twin Lakes (24-1) will play in the state semifinals Friday against either Pensacola-Washington or Jacksonville-Jackson at Hillborough Community College in Tampa.
“We went out and played tonight like we know how to,” Rams coach Willie Miller said. “They were nervous again in the first quarter, but once they got over that they were great.”
Cassandra Rahming and Charlene Littles shared game-high honors with 21 points apiece. Littles scored 15 points on three-point baskets, three in the pivitol second quarter.
“That’s why (the three-pointer) is in the game,” Miller said. “We use it as another person in the offense. If they are going to give it to us we will go ahead and use it.”
Littles long range bombing put Twin Lakes in control of the game after the Rams opened a slim 15-9 lead after the first quarter. Littles opened the quarter with two 22-foot rainbows which ignited the crowd of 250 at the Twin Lakes gym.
Apopka (19-9) did much of their scoring from the foul line making 7 of 12 from the line in the quarter. Part of the reason for the high number of foul shots was the Rams press which the Darters broke on occasion. Apoka, however went to a 1-2-1 zone defense which failed to stop the Rams inside game.
“That’s what killed them,” Miller said. “If they had stayed with a man they probably would have been more effective, but they wanted to try and create some things, which they couldn’t.”
Apopka was able to cut the Rams lead to as little as seven points (49-42) early in the third quarter, but never led in the game. Tonya Johnson, who led the Darters with 19 points, moved inside for a layup to pull Apoka to within seven, but Rahming nailed a three-pointer, sank the first of two freethrows and Sophia Thomas put in the missed second shot to put the Rams up 55-42.
