- Williston advanced to their first final four after defeating defending champ Wildwood, 61-52, and edged Blountstown, 43-41, in the state semifinals at UNF.
- Williston girls basketball won their first state title with a 66-49 victory over Jay, ending the season with a 21-2 record.
Editor’s note: This is the third part of a summer series revisiting the best of “The Prep Zone Sports Show” at locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville, featuring interviews with area coaches and players with host Mike Ridaught from the 2025-26 seasons.
The Williston girls basketball team and head coach Willie Powers II, the Florida Dairy Farmers Rural Coach of the Year, were featured on “The Prep Zone Sports Show” on Feb. 18.
The Lady Red Devils advanced to their first final four in program history with a 61-52 win against defending state champion Wildwood in the FHSAA Rural Region 4 Final. Williston edged Blountstown, 43-41, in the state semifinals at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, followed by a 66-49 win against Jay in the title game to finish the season at 21-2.
Below are excerpts from the February interview — edited for length and clarity — on The Prep Zone show. You can listen to the full conversation online.
Q: You’re a number one seed, number one team in the state in the Rural classification, and you’ve got Wildwood (region final) at home on Friday. How big is that?
Head coach Willie Powers: Well, that’s very big because sometimes when we go to Wildwood, the environment’s so hostile. I mean, young ladies who’ve never been put in that predicament, it’s pretty tough for us. So, we fought hard this year to try to make sure we can try to get a number one seed and play some games in front of our great fans.
Q: You’re 19-2 and haven’t lost since Dec. 11, so it sounds like your team is peaking at the right time. Your thoughts on the way your basketball team is playing?
Willie Powers: I think they’re beginning to understand what we want from them. We’re playing awfully hard, and that is what is most important to me to just play hard and believe in what your coaches are telling you to do.
Q: Do you like the fact that, and I know you’ve got to play Wildwood again, but do you like the fact that it (district championship win against Wildwood) was a little bit closer game because you’ve been blowing everybody out, and this ended up being a 10-point game?
Willie Powers: Well, they’re the defending state champions. They have the championship work ethic. They have the championship model. We just were able to finally play hard and know that we can win against them. That was the hardest thing to get these girls to understand is no matter who you play, you’re just as good if you go out and play hard and not fear them…when you’ve never won championships, it’s hard to get that championship mentality, and we finally bought into what we know can take them to be champions.
Q: What’s it been like since you came over from PK Yonge? Obviously, now you guys are in a great position to go to the school’s first-ever final four.
Ashlyn Young (SR): It’s been a change, but it’s good getting to know other people that come from different backgrounds, and just kids that are athletic. I want to learn and be a state champion.
Q: Is there a game that stands out the most to you this year?
Ashlyn Young (SR): I would say our Tampa Catholic game. Although we lost, there were a bunch of learning experiences that we had…it was a test to see where we were at and what we needed to work on.
Q: What was that district championship game like against Wildwood?
Kierce Solomon (SO): Oh, it was good. Just the energy. Like last year, we were scared, so just the energy and us coming out strong.
Q: Having your sister Trinity play alongside you, what’s that experience been like?
Kierce Solomon (SO): I just know what she can do. We’ve been playing with each other forever, so it’s just I know her ability to do what she does.
Q: What is it like playing for your grandfather (Coach Powers)?
Taylor Powers (JR): It’s a love-hate thing. He gets really passionate about the game, but I know that he’s coming from a good place, so I don’t really let what he says or the way he talks bother me. I just take it with a grain of salt because I know he’s always coming from a good place and he means well, and he knows what he’s doing.
Q: How did you guys get to that point to where you felt like you could beat Wildwood?
Taylor Powers (JR): I think it all came with just being prepared, knowing that we were prepared coming into the game, knowing that we had the stuff that we needed to do, knowing what we needed to do, and executing it. So, once it came down to playing the game, it all just transferred. And energy is also a big part of our team, so when we have good energy, we play good.