MONTVERDE — This one was a stunner.
Montverde junior guard A’jah Davis took a pass from former Bartow star Bri Tollie and hit a runner with 0.8 seconds remaining in overtime to give second-ranked Montverde a 58-56 come-from-behind win over No. 1-ranked Winter Haven on Thursday.
“Putting the ball up like that comes around every day in practice, but I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates. Bri passed me the ball and I made it,” Davis said. “Our team did this because we have just worked so hard since the preseason.”
Montverde, which doesn’t participate in the FHSAA, never held a lead in the game until Davis’ shot, which handed the two-time defending state champion Blue Devils (24-1) their first loss of the season.
“The (undefeated) record didn’t bother me,” Winter Haven coach Johnnie Lawson said. “Going undefeated doesn’t mean anything if you don’t win the state championship, and that is what we have to concentrate on.”
Winter Haven, ranked No. 1 in the state by both Source Hoops and Maxpreps.com in the Florida All-Classification and Class 8A rankings, jumped out to a 29-17 halftime lead and appeared to be on its way to an impressive blowout, but Montverde (17-3) outscored the Blue Devils in the third quarter 17-13 and 14-10 in the fourth.
And Tollie, who finished with 16 points to lead Montverde, canned a 3-point shot from the corner with 23 seconds remaining in regulation to knot the game 52-52.
Tollie also hit a critical 2-point bucket with 38 seconds remaining in overtime to knot the game again, this time 56-56, setting up Davis’ game winner. The shot came just seconds after Winter Haven had talked over its stratedgy during a timeout.
“The first shot that tied the game, I was scared,” Tollie said. “The second one was easier.”
Winter Haven was led by Zakiyah Franklin with 17 points, but two of her hard-driving layup attempts in the closing minutes rolled in-and-out. Diamond Battles added 12 points for the Blue Devils and Melijah Sullivan scored six.
Montverde is coached by former WNBA standout E.C. Hill, who also played professionally in Europe. The Eagles are ranked second in the state in the Maxpreps.com all-classifications poll.
Maxpreps.com also ranks Winter Haven No. 10 in the nation. USA Today Expert Rankings lists Winter Haven as the No. 7 team in the nation.
The Blue Devils will close out the regular season Saturday, hosting Fort Pierce Central. They will travel to Bartow for the district playoffs next week.
Montverde 58, Winter Haven 56
Winter Haven;13;16;13;10;4;;;;56
Montverde;10;7;17;14;6;;;;58
WINTER HAVEN (56) Battles 12 , Franklin 17, Hardy 3, Singleton 5, Sullivan 7, Jacob 6 . Totals: FT 12-25, FG 16.
MONTVERDE (58) Dumas 7, Pruitt-Henderson 2, Pacheco 9, T. Tollie 7 , B. Tollie 16, Kozlova 13. Totals: FT 17-22, FG 16