
The Williston girls basketball team entered Thursday night’s Class Rural District 7 semifinals without two of its starters against two-time defending state champion Hawthorne.
Sophomore Taylor Powers was out with the flu and freshman Kaelyn Brown sat out due to a coach’s decision.
However, the Red Devils got some key contributions from their reserves in a 57-44 home win in front of a raucous crowd to advance to Saturday night’s district championship game.
“I thought my two eighth graders, I mean in this atmosphere against the two-time defending champions, played amazing,” said first-year Williston coach Willie Powers. “That showed me a lot about them, that when they get their chance, they’ll be ready.”
Jayla Coleman scored 10 points, including five in the opening quarter, as Williston built a 9-point lead, 15-6, at the end of the first quarter.

“Jayla came to us late. I mean she’s a heck of a softball player, but like I told her parents she’s a heck of a basketball player,” Powers said. “We are so happy to have her. I hope she stays with us for four more years. The future is very bright for her.”
Turnovers were costly for Hawthorne (12-4), which only had two field goals in the opening period.
“I think we settled down a little too late,” said Hawthorne coach Cornelius Ingram. “Man, we had some bad turnovers early on. I just told the girls we probably finished with 25 plus. You’re supposed to get beat by 25 or 30, so we were in the game the entire game with all those turnovers, but you can’t win that way.”
Meanwhile, junior point guard Ashlyn Young controlled the game for the Lady Red Devils (18-2). She finished with a game-high 20 points and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
Williston led by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, but Hawthorne went on an 8-0 run to start the third quarter.
Following a basket by senior T’Myrah Carter (10 points), and a right-wing 3-pointer by senior guard De’Mya Adams (team-high 13 points), Hawthorne took its first lead, 26-25, on a right-wing 3-pointer by Carter.

Young answered with a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 28-26 lead and then got fouled on a 3-pointer and converted the free throw for a 4-point play and a 32-26 advantage with 5:46 remaining in the third.
“She was great,” Ingram said. “She got them into their offense. She’s just a heck of a player. Plays the game the right way, great energy, can score all three levels, and we knew we had to contain her in order to give ourselves a chance. She got in foul trouble, but she came back in, stayed out of foul trouble and finished the game for her team.”
Senior Rihanna Davis drilled a left-wing 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining in the third to go up 33-32, but that was Hawthorne’s last lead of the game.
A left-corner 3-pointer by Coleman gave the Red Devils a 35-33 lead with 2:30 to play in the quarter and the Red Devils never trailed again.
Young picked up her fourth foul and headed to the bench with 2:09 to play in the third quarter, but Williston had four different players score after she left, including a right-wing 3-pointer by freshman Trinity Solomon (5 points) at the buzzer for a 43-35 lead.
Hawthorne got within two points, 45-43, on two free throws by senior Jhalea Jackson (4 points), but Young returned to score eight points in the final quarter to help Williston advance.
“I just think we had more people than they did,” Powers said. “We were able to go to the bench more than they could, and I think some of those shots that they were hitting earlier came up short because their legs were tired.”
Hawthorne, which entered the game as the No. 3 seed in Rural-Region 4, will receive an at-large bid for next Thursday’s regional semifinals.
“We feel like we have a good chance to make a run,” Ingram said. “We have a chance to come back here, which I feel we’ll have to, and we can play a lot better. I really believe in my girls.”
Williston will face top-seed Wildwood on the road in Saturday’s district championship game.
“It’s just another game to get better and get ready for the regional playoffs,” said Powers, who won 19 district titles in 21 years at P.K. Yonge.

FHSAA Girls Basketball district scores and matchups
(teams in the Mainstreet coverage area in bold)
Dates & times are subject to change
Rural Class-District 5 at higher seed
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
5 Hamilton County (Jasper) 58, 4 Branford 49
Rural Class-District 6 at Trenton
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 Bell 59, 5 Union County (Lake Butler) 39
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Fort White 54, 4 Bell 18
2 Trenton 57, 3 Dixie County (Cross City) 20
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 8 – at Trenton
1 Fort White at 2 Trenton
Rural Class-District 7 at higher seed
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 Chiefland 56, 5 Bronson 21
3 Hawthorne 90, 6 Cedar Key 12
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Wildwood 79, 4 Chiefland 22
2 Williston 57, 3 Hawthorne 44
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 8
2 Williston at 1 Wildwood
Class 1A-District 4 at St. John Lutheran (Ocala)
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) 2, 4 St. John Lutheran (Ocala) 0 (forfeit)
2 Countryside Christian 39, 3 Redeemer Christian (Ocala) 23
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 8
2 Countryside Christian vs.1 Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto)
Class 2A-District 2 at higher seed
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 St. Francis Catholic Academy 39, 5 St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) 23
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) 89, 4 St. Francis Catholic Academy 13
3 P.K. Yonge 21, 2 Oak Hall 20
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 8
3 P.K. Yonge at 1 Trinity Catholic (Ocala)
Class 3A-District 2 at Florida High (Tallahassee)
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 Suwannee (Live Oak) 40, 5 Taylor County (Perry) 33
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Florida High (Tallahassee) 54, 4 Suwannee (Live Oak) 7
3 Marianna 55, 2 Gadsden County (Havana) 46
Class 3A-District 3 at higher seed
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 Baldwin 46, 5 Keystone Heights 35
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Newberry 65, 4 Baldwin 26
2 Bradford (Starke) 66, 3 Palatka 54
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 8
2 Bradford (Starke) at1 Newberry
Class 4A-District 5 at higher seed
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 Crystal River 46, 5 Santa Fe (Alachua) 40
3 North Marion (Citra) 48, 6 Lake Weir (Ocala) 22
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Dunnellon 45, 4 Crystal River 32
2 Eastside 62, 3 North Marion (Citra) 40
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 8
2 Eastside at 1 Dunnellon
Class 5A-District 2 at higher seed
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 Leon (Tallahassee) 48, 5 Chiles (Tallahassee) 42
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Gainesville 67, 4 Leon (Tallahassee) 23
2 Lincoln (Tallahassee) 56, 3 Columbia (Lake City) 39
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 8 at Lincoln (Tallahassee)
1 Gainesville at 2 Lincoln
Class 6A-District 3 at Bartram Trail (St. Johns) – Semifinals & Championship
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 4
4 Buchholz 67, 5 Matanzas (Palm Coast) 35
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 6
1 Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) 56, 4 Buchholz 30










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