The Apopka Blue Darters walked into hostile territory Monday night and walked out with their biggest win of the season. 

Facing Lake Brantley on the road in the first round of the Class 7A District 3 playoffs, Apopka (6-16) stunned the Patriots (11-12) with a 57-47 upset victory, using tough defense and dominance in the paint to advance to the next round. 

From the opening tip, the game had the feel of a playoff battle. The Blue Darters traded baskets early with Lake Brantley before beginning to assert themselves inside. Elyse Pringle knocked down a 3-pointer and Mikayla Wiggins followed with a finish in the paint to give Apopka a 7-6 edge midway through the quarter. 

Amari Dillon added an inside basket moments later, and the Darters began to control the glass. With under a minute left in the quarter, Apopka scored on back-to-back possessions in the paint before Abigail Henry cleaned up an offensive rebound for another bucket. Dillon capped the quarter with a momentum-swinging sequence, blocking a shot on one end and pulling up for a long two just before the buzzer. 

Apopka closed the first quarter with a 17-9 lead. 

The Blue Darters continued to punish Lake Brantley inside in the second quarter. Henry remained a force around the rim, scoring off another offensive rebound, while Pringle found Deriyon Brinson for a midrange jumper. Destiny Gelin added points by cleaning up her own miss, and Brinson calmly converted two free throws to keep the Darters in control. 

Lake Brantley answered with a pair of deep 3-pointers, but Apopka’s zone defense slowed the Patriots’ rhythm. Gelin spun into the lane for a floater late in the half, and Apopka went into the locker room with a 31-22 advantage.  

Lake Brantley attempted to make a push early in the third, scoring three straight baskets to cut the lead to five. Apopka responded with poise. 

Gelin stopped the run at the free-throw line, and Henry once again muscled in a putback. Wiggins then took over. She hit a 3 from the wing, flew in for a steal, and found Dillon for an and-one finish through contact. The surge pushed Apopka’s lead to 15. 

Dillon added another strong post move late in the quarter, and Wiggins closed the period at the free-throw line as Apopka took a commanding 48-31 lead into the fourth. 

The Patriots opened the final quarter with free throws, but Wiggins answered with a pull-up jumper. She then dominated the glass, grabbing multiple offensive rebounds and scoring to stretch the lead to 19 and force a Lake Brantley timeout. 

Apopka’s defense stayed relentless down the stretch. Gelin forced a turnover and delivered a bounce pass to Wiggins for an easy layup. Lake Brantley made a late push, but the outcome was sealed as Apopka secured the 10-point victory. 

Wiggins poured in 12 of her 14 points in the second half to ice the game. Dillon dominated throughout with 13 points. Gelin finished with nine, and Brinson added eight in a balanced team effort. 

After the game, head coach Brittany Hardy praised her team’s energy. 

“I’m glad they were able to secure the win here, and we’re going on,” Hardy said. “That energy they had out there tonight, I really hope they bring it to Ocoee.” 

Hardy also highlighted the ball movement and contributions from her bench as key factors in the win. 

“What worked was moving the ball,” she said. “They got it together in the second and third, but I had three girls in foul trouble, so the girls off the bench came in and did what they were supposed to do.” 

With the upset victory, Apopka keeps its season alive and gains momentum heading into the semifinals against Ocoee (19-5) at a date to be determined.