After the first quarter of Saturday’s District 3A-12 Championship game, the No. 2-seeded Island Coast Gators believed they could take down No. 1 seed Bishop Verot. The underdog Gators were only down 16-11.

That was as close as they would get, however.

The Vikings won yet another district title with a dominating 69-41 victory

led by senior Nate Howard with 24 points to go with eight assists and nine

rebounds.

“Our plan was to play smart and stay poised, and I think we

accomplished both of those goals tonight,” said Vikings coach Matt Herting.

The Vikings started out somewhat slow, but got better as the game wore on. They

jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, but the Gators hung around with three-pointers by Billy Rees and Kyle Harding. When the first quarter buzzer went off, Verot changed into a different team and started to show why they were the top seed.

A 9-0 run to start the second quarter, offensive rebounds and second-chance points

were the story as sophomore Mason Taylor scored seven points in the quarter and helped build a 31-19 halftime lead.

The Gators’ game plan of slowing down the tempo and keeping it a low-scoring game was thrown out the window by Howard, who had 15 first-half points. He kept up his

effort with a standout third quarter scoring the Vikings’ first seven points, including a highlight reel dunk and a deep three-pointer.

“It was like we were at Disney World for the first time,” said Gators coach Greg Coleman. “I think we were somewhat taken by the atmosphere of a championship game than we were trying to win the game. It was like we were just happy to be there.”

The Gators (13-14) tried to keep it close with the three-point shooting of Jason Morris

and Kyle Harding who hit a combined five threes, but the Gators were no match

for the Vikings’ big guys.

“We just don’t match up well with those guys,” said Coleman.

Harding and Morris led the Gators with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Vikings will host Bradenton Southeast Thursday in the Region 3A-3 quarterfinal round while the Gators must travel to Hardee County.

“Hardee was the No. 3 seed and beat the No. 2 and No. 1 seeds on consecutive nights to win the championship,” said Coleman. “Being district runner-up, we got lucky, but there are no guarantees. We should match up well with those guys and have a chance to win our first regional playoff game.”

In addition to Howard’s game-high 24 points, Ricky Doyle added 14 and Taylor finished with 12 points.

“As long as we continue to play our game, and play smart basketball, I am

confident in our chances heading forward,” Harting said.

Island Coast 11 8 9 13 – 41

Bishop Verot 16 17 18 20 – 69

ISLAND COAST 41 – Francois 4, Dal Bon 3, Harding 11, Rees 9, Morris 10, Cruz 4. Totals: 11 13-19 41.

3PG: Harding 3, Rees 1, Morris 2.

VEROT 69 – Wagner 5, Taylor 12, Hoop 6, Williams 2, Doyle 14, Howard 24. Totals: 21 6-8 69.

3PG: Wagner 1, Howard 4.