Wekiva went wire-to-wire in the Class 6A District 5 semifinal Wednesday night, overwhelming Lake Minneola from the opening tip and cruising to a dominant 68–26 victory to punch their ticket to the district championship game. 

After the game, head coach Middleton emphasized focus and consistency as his team prepares for the district final. 

“Just one point at a time,” Middleton said. “Staying focused, understanding the task at hand, not letting the moment be too big, and standing on the nine principles that they as a team came up with today. Just one game at a time.” 

From the very first possession, the top-seeded Mustangs (15-9) set the tone with relentless pressure defense and lightning-fast transition offense against the fourth-seeded Hawks (13-8). Jakayla Johnson opened the scoring with a steal that led to a Makayla Bell layup, and Bell followed with another strong finish inside after a defensive stop. 

Jasmine Pooler quickly turned the game into a track meet. She recorded back-to-back steals and fast-break layups. Paris Blackwood joined the defensive party with a steal of her own, and Johnson followed with another bucket in the paint before finding Alexis Hill cutting to the rim for an easy score. Pooler swiped another steal and finish to push the lead to 14–0 before Lake Minneola finally got on the board five minutes into the quarter. 

Wekiva’s defense continued to suffocate the Hawks. Pooler found Hill again on a cut to the basket, then knocked down a corner 3 from a Bell assist. On the next trip, Pooler picked off another pass and fed Johnson for a fast break layup. By the end of the first quarter, the Mustangs had built a commanding 22–2 lead, forcing Lake Minneola into constant turnovers. 

Wekiva finished the opening quarter alone with nine steals, setting the tone for what became a defensive clinic. 

The second quarter followed the same script. Pooler and Johnson each opened with steals and layups, and Bell intercepted a pass and found Pooler cutting for two more points to make it 30–4. Tiana Washington added a strong interior basket, and Bell and Washington connected on a perfectly executed pick-and-roll sequence. 

Jaydalis James joined the scoring surge with a steal that led to a Ja’Niya Poole layup. She added another steal and fast-break finish with two minutes left in the half, while Pooler capped the run with yet another steal and layup. 

By halftime, Wekiva had built a staggering 44–12 lead, fueled by 22 total steals. Pooler led the way with 17 first-half points, while Bell collected six steals. 

The Mustangs wasted no time putting the game away in the third quarter. After a defensive stop, Pooler threw a full-court pass that found Bell for a layup, looking like a quarterback launching a touchdown strike. Johnson followed with another basket off a turnover, and the lead quickly triggered a running clock. 

Bell picked off another pass and sent it ahead to Johnson, who found Washington inside for a layup. James added a fast-break lay-in to complete a 10–0 run. Lake Minneola briefly found some offense with six straight points, but Wekiva quickly responded.  

Hill muscled in a basket inside, Pooler assisted Blackwood for an easy finish and then scored herself off another steal. Wekiva closed the third quarter ahead 62–21. 

The fourth quarter blew by quickly as the Mustangs coasted to a 68–26 win. 

Pooler finished with a sensational performance of 19 points, four assists, and six steals. Bell was also everywhere with 11 points, six assists and seven steals. Johnson added 10 points and five steals, highlighting the complete team effort on both ends of the floor. 

Middleton feels that the girls are ready for the upcoming task. 

“They’re understanding all the lessons we learned through the good and the bad this year, and how it can mold you to get all the way to the state championship. We look forward to the challenge of playing in the district final.” 

Wekiva will host the 2 seed Edgewater (17-6) in the district championship game at 6:30 p.m. Friday night.