- November 26, 2024
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Flagler Palm Coast plays Feb. 9, in the Class 8A regional quarters.
For the third straight year, Flagler Palm Coast has lost in the district championship.
The Lady Bulldogs (16-9) lost to Mandarin, 38-26, Saturday, Feb. 4, in the District 1-8A championship.
FPC won a coin toss last week to earn the No. 1 seed and a spot in the championship. FPC and Mandarin split the regular season series when both games were decided by two points.
Because of traffic on the highway, the Lady Bulldogs got to Mandarin’s gym later than planned, and so their warmup was shortened to about 10 minutes. However, FPC coach Javier Bevacqua made no excuses.
Bevacqua, who has taken FPC to the district championship in three out of his four seasons as coach, said the play on the hardwood is what cost his team the game.
FPC missed 25 layups in the game and also went 2-for-10 in foul shots.
“That was the game,” Bevacqua said.
The Lady Bulldogs led Mandarin, 5-4, with about two minutes remaining in the first quarter Saturday night. But that was the last lead FPC would hold. The Lady Mustangs went on an 11-0 run to end the first quarter and into the second quarter, taking a 15-5 lead.
At halftime, FPC trailed, 19-9.
Bevacqua said he didn’t make any changes at halftime.
“Our shots just weren’t falling in the first half,” he said. “I told them, defensively, we did a good job. We just had to put the ball in the basket.”
The second half was back and forth, but FPC couldn’t quite close the gap. When the Lady Bulldogs did make a run, Mandarin answered with 3-pointers. Bevacqua deployed the full-court press, but Mandarin’s guards kept finding a soft spot near half court, allowing them to break the press and convert easy layups.
Bevacqua said he changed the press late in the week because Mandarin had scouted them from earlier this season, but the changes didn’t quite work out as planned.
FPC playmakers Armani Walker and Diajah Davis couldn’t get into a rhythm. Davis finished the game with six points, three steals and eight rebounds. Walker had six points, three assists and six rebounds. Amanda Melendez had six points, eight rebounds and one block.
Nevertheless, the Lady Bulldogs still advance to the state playoffs for the third straight year. They play Lake Mary 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at Lake Mary, in the Class 8A regional quarterfinals.
This week in practice, Bevacqua said, he will have his team continue to work on the press, calling it the team’s “bread and butter,” adding that scoring off playing defense suits his team best.
It’s déjà vu for Bevacqua, but he doesn’t plan on telling his team anything special compared to what he has said in years past.
“Play hard. Remember the bitter taste in your mouth,” is what he’ll tell his team. “The next time we’re out there, we need to take care of business.”
