In his first two seasons at Forest Hill, junior Braysor Martinez got to celebrate winning district titles. He ensured the Falcons would win their third straight.
Martinez hit the game-winning lay-up with just a few seconds left on the clock, securing a 68-67 Forest Hill victory over Wellington to win the District 10-7A title.
“It feels great,” Martinez said. “That’s the best feeling. Three-time (champions), baby.”
Forest Hill needed a comeback to beat Wellington. The Wolverines, led by senior Chris Walker’s 17 points, held a lead for most of the game. The Falcons trailed by as much as nine points in the fourth quarter, and Wellington still held a six-point lead with 1:32 left in the quarter.
“I just told everybody, ‘Keep your head up and keep fighting the whole entire way,'” senior Donovan Draper said. “Everybody just had to keep their composure and keep their head in the game and not look in the score and just play like it’s your last.”
Forest Hill chipped away at Wellington’s lead, going on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to two points. Wellington added a point with 46 seconds to play, and Draper, who led the Falcons with 26 points, earned a foul shot after making a basket with 39 seconds to play.
With an opportunity to tie the game, Draper missed his free throw. But Forest Hill coach Tony Watson thought that was a pivotal moment for his team.
“I think the key moment might have been when we missed the free throw,” Watson said. “Because once we missed the free throw, we knew we had to get it in gear.”
Martinez had an opportunity to drain two free throws with 12 seconds left in the game and give Forest Hill its first lead since the second quarter, but he only hit one, tying the game. Wellington took the lead back on a free throw by Zayin Humber, and then the ball landed in Martinez’s hands.
The junior beat two defenders on the baseline, sent the ball up and gave Forest Hill its final one-point margin.
Forest Hill doesn’t want their biggest victory of the year to come in the district finals. The Falcons made the trip to Lakeland last year only to lose in the state semifinals. They want more this season.
“We’re not done yet,” Draper said. “This is a big accomplishment, but we’re on to much better things. We’re not happy with nothing we have so far. We’ll be happy when we have a state ring. That’s it.
