By Tribune staff Published: February 17, 2013 Updated: February 17, 2013 - 12:12 AM

Freedom center Faith Woodard said her heart stopped in the final minute of Saturday's Class 7A-Region 2 final against Sebastian River.

"Those were, by far, the most nerve-racking, unforgettable moments of my life," Woodard said. "It came down to the wire and my heart stopped."

Fortunately for Woodard and her Patriots' teammates, her playing never stopped, as the Georgetown-bound senior laid in a finger roll with 13 seconds left, then ran down court for her 10th rebound and drew a foul, leading Freedom (25-2) to a 74-73 win and the program's first final four appearance.

Woodard scored 25 points in her double-double, including eight in the final quarter, but a lot of the nerves the senior mentioned came because of the monster night of Sebastian River's KP Pound, who led all scorers with 33 points.

The Patriots got out to a comfortable lead of 12 points early in the third quarter before the defending state champion Sharks (23-3) started chipping away. Sebastian River caught up and took the lead with a little more than three minutes left in the game and things see-sawed from there.

"We are going to fight harder than anybody," Freedom coach Laurie Pacholke said. "Even when (Sebastian River) made a run a lot of teams would have buckled at that, but I knew we weren't going to give up."

Freedom's Taylor Emory scored 21, while Whitney Ivey added 13 points, but the team's saving grace may have come from the hustle of senior Monet Williams, whose defense and clutch six fourth-quarter points kept the Patriots in the game.

Jarrett Guthrie

6A-3: Winter Haven upends Sickles 57-50

More here:

Girls hoops playoffs roundup: Freedom makes first final four