APOPKA – Someone once said, “Success is born from persistence, refined through adaptation, and strengthened by teamwork.”

In the third quarter against Apopka, Seminole showed just that. Up 19-16 at the half, the Noles relied on defense to build an 11-point lead midway through the third en route to a 54-32 victory in the regional final, sending Seminole to the state Final Four.

“I told them we needed to turn up our defense,” Seminole coach Shawn Ready said. “It took everybody to match everyone else’s energy.

“Once we started feeding off each other’s energy, everything started flowing the way we wanted it to go.”

After a back-and-forth first half, Seminole, led by Jorden Pittman’s 19 points, started playing the way Ready and his staff had hoped they would.

“We let our defense create our offense,” Ready said. “If our defense doesn’t create our offense, we have no chance.”

Seminole held Apopka to 10 third-quarter points as it took a 41-26 lead into the final quarter of the regional final.

“That’s what we do in practice every day. We spend at least 20 minutes a day just on defense. We concentrate on defense, and that gets everything else popping.”

Along with his 19 points, Pittman, the All-SAC first-teamer, added six steals and four rebounds.

“He’s a two-way guy. He does everything I ask him to do,” Ready said. “No matter what the situation may be. He plays his heart out and leaves it all on the court every game.”

The Noles head to Lakeland, where they will face 25-3 and national No. 1 Columbus on March 7 at 11 a.m.