Westminster Academy Has Sights Set On Final Goal

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Before the start of the 2015 season, Westminster Academy's boys' basketball team set three goals.

Win a district title.

Check.

Win the regional title and reach the state semifinals.

Double check.

Now the Lions have one goal left: win a state title.

Westminster Academy has to win two more games to reach its goal – the first, a showdown with Orlando First Academy Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in the Class 3A state semifinals at The Lakeland Center.

The Lions punched their ticket to Lakeland with an 87-64 win over Community School of Naples this past weekend – reaching the state final for the first time since 2002, when the school won a Class 2A championship.

Westminster head coach Ehren Wallhoff said that this year's team has a certain characteristic that has helped it throughout the season.

"This group has exceeded expectations," Wallhoff said. "We knew we'd be good, but they really grew up this season. They have a 'no die' attitude. There have been times where we've been down 10 or 12 points in some big games and they kept fighting and clawed their way back into those games."

"These kids don't get rattled by anything…they continue to play at a high level no matter what's going on." Wallhoff added.

The Lions played at a high level more often than not this season. Westminster notched three impressive wins over rival Sagemont and a 57-54 win over Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy – a team that spent time as the No. 1 ranked team in Class 7A.

Westminster Academy didn't look bad when it lost, though. The Lions were narrowly edged by Miami Norland, a 4-time Class 6A state champion; Chaminade-Madonna; and Cincinnati Elder – the No. 10 ranked team in Ohio – by a total of 13 points.

"We played a very tough schedule this season…and we did that to get the kids ready," Wallhoff said. "It really brought the guys together. They became a family. There are no egos; no animosity and they genuinely want to see each other do well. It's a really great atmosphere around the team – they're a really fun team to coach."

Many coaches would have fun coaching a roster as talented as Westminster's.

Sophomore Zach Scott emerged as the team's leading scorer this season. The 6-foot-4 smooth guard – who's drawn interest from Central Florida, UAB and Vanderbilt – has poured in almost 21 points and four rebounds per game.

Jerald Butler, a 6-foot-4 junior that had a triple-double in the regional final win, works in the backcourt alongside Scott and has been able to produce 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists per contest.

Add in 6-foot-9 junior Paul Atkinson, who has offers from Yale, Harvard and Virginia Tech, and his 21 double-doubles along with freshman shooter Chase Johnson with his 77 made three-pointers – and the Lions have a team set for success this year and beyond.

"We have a good collection of kids," Wallhoff said.

"The trio of Scott, Butler and Atkinson do a good job of keeping us balanced. They lead by example. You'll see them always being positive; pushing and motivating their teammates. To see those guys step up and help the younger players shows their growth and maturity."

"They'll tell the guys 'let's go, we can do this', then they go throw down a monster slam. They talk the talk and walk the walk. Their strength is that they don't let stuff get us down," Walhoff added.

Standing in the Lions' way is a First Academy (25-5) team that played in the Class 3A state semifinal this past season and features a talented trio of players.

6-foot-5 Chaundee Brown, 6-foot-8 Malik William and 6-foot point guard Elijah Jordan – all juniors – make up the Royals' core. All three transferred to First Academy from neighboring Dr. Phillips High School and are ranked among the top 50 players in the state for the 2017 class – with Brown earning the No. 5 spot according to Florida Hoops.

Westminster's Atkinson (No. 25) and Butler (No. 48) are also on the list.

"[First Academy] is a good team," Walhoff said. "I think it'll be a great game. There should be a lot of good matchups on the floor. They have a big, we have a big. They have good guards, we have good guards."

"I think it's going to come down to who can knock down shots. It's probably going to come down to a play here or there. Hopefully, we will be the team that makes those crucial plays."