Lake Nona’s Kyle Herrera booted a 34-yard field goal as time expired to give the East a 20-17 come-from-behind win. Herrera also kicked a 32-yarder to close out the first half.

“I was already real nervous coming into it, then they tried to ice me twice,” Herrera said afterward. “I just threw my career on the line and put everything I had into it.”

East seniors watch as the ball clears the uprights. (Photo by Tim Citek)

Despite outgaining the West in total yards (326-207) the East seniors were forced to overcome six turnovers and a 17-7 deficit late in the second quarter before eventually pulling out the win.

The West built its lead by turning three of those turnovers into scores.

While trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter Edgewater’s Kelvon Davis forced a fumble, which put the West in position to tie the game. It wasn’t long before Bishop Moore quarterback Mike Calabro tucked the football and took off on a 30-yard touchdown run.

West Orange’s Marcus Isom went on to recover a fumble on a bad snap once the East regained possession, setting up a 27-yard field goal by Wekiva’s Kyle McGee. The West extended its lead with less than a minute to play in the second quarter when Wekiva’s Josh West jumped on a loose ball in the end zone following yet another fumble.

But while the West relied on the mistakes of its opponent, the East continued dusting itself off and feeding the ball to Lake Nona’s Jarius Pace and Winter Park’s Brandon Brown-Dukes out of the backfield.

The duo combined for eight carries of more than 10 yards on the night. When they weren’t fighting for extra yardage by making defenders miss by way of shifty moves, they were finding extra room to run thanks to an aggressive offensive line.

“It’s been a long time since I was able to get back in my groove and I felt like I was able to do that tonight,” said Pace, who missed much of the regular season due to injury. “God came through for me. The team came through. I’d like to give all the credit to the o-line for the outstanding blocking they did.”

Pace brushed off two fumbles to finish with 126 yards rushing and a touchdown on 14 carries. He also had a 45-yard reception late in the fourth quarter. Brown-Dukes took 12 carries for 61 yards and caught three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown in the win.

The celebration gets underway for the East seniors. (Photo by Tim Citek)

“It’s a great experience to play with and against all these guys from throughout Orange County, because some of these guys we’ve never had the chance to play against (during the regular season),” said Brown-Dukes.

It was his catch-and-run for a touchdown with 8:31 to go in the third quarter that tied the game at 17-17. Following a 31-yard reception by Winter Park’s Lee Dunnam, on a throw from East River quarterback Josh Jones, Brown-Dukes hauled in a pass while alone in the flat and reached the end zone on a 22-yard gain after sidestepping a defender inside the five-yard line.

“When I turned my head and looked up it was wide open,” Brown-Dukes said. “It’s all natural instinct from there. I just decided to take a jab-step inside and come back out.”

Pace scored the opening points of the night when he took a handoff up the middle and went four yards for the touchdown with 1:18 to go in the first quarter.

He got the scoring drive started on a pitch-out to the right, where he stiff-armed a defender and raced 52 yards down the West sideline. Positive gains by Brown-Dukes, Central Florida Christian Academy’s Karl Bourne and East River’s Michael Elder continued to move the chains before Pace punched it in for the score.

– More Orange County Senior Bowl Highlights –

– Lake Nona’s Chris Compton caught a 23-yard pass from University’s Kyle Sellers with 24 seconds left in the second quarter… Sellers and Josh Jones combined to go 9-of-21 for 139 yards passing for the East.

– Edgewater’s Kelvin Gunning and Wekiva’s Demarius Daniels each intercepted a pass… Olympia’s Josh Cunningham got to the quarterback for a sack during the final seconds of the first half… West Orange’s Diego Quintanar recovered a fumble with two minutes left in the game, but the West replied by going three-and-out.

– Gunning, Ocoee’s Darien Oliver and Edgewater’s Kelvon Davis were among those breaking up passes while West Orange’s Kellen Williams made multiple timely tackles.

– Bishop Moore quarterback Mike Calabro led the West in rushing with 65 yards on four carries… Calabro, Wekiva’s Greg Arnheim and Evans quarterback Dominique Tarver combined to go 7-of-20 for 63 yards passing… Ocoee’s Robenson Roche caught three passes for 18 yards.

– University’s Shane Berry made a clutch interception near the sideline on a pass inside the 10-yard line with a minute left in the second quarter… Winter Park’s Dominique Albert and Timber Creek’s Lavon Moten recorded sacks for the East.

– Stepping up to make big tackles for the East were Winter Park’s Matthew Moody, Lake Nona’s Alex Scott, Timber Creek’s Brandon Tyras, Freedom’s Colin Burke and Kavaris Green, and Colonial’s Larry McNeil and Chad Tajudeen… Colonial’s Ricky Gordon, Freedom’s David Gadson and Cypress Creek’s Nick Gonzalez broke up passes.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Adam Jones

On Saturday the Class 6A, District 4 title will be decided at Edgewater and the No. 2 Eagles are hoping to be a part of it when the game tips off, in what would likely be a rematch against the top-seeded Wildcats.

To get there, Edgewater first must get past No. 6 Colonial in the semifinals while Winter Park takes on No. 4 Boone for the right to advance.

A month ago Winter Park visited Edgewater and came away with a 58-39 win. Earlier in the week the Wildcats eliminated East River and Edgewater turned away Freedom to start postseason play.

Should both teams continue on toward the championship game, it would be a fitting conclusion for two programs that closed out the regular season with impressive finales.

– Edgewater defeats Evans –

If anyone wondered if Patrick Diop was listening to coaches at halftime of last week’s rivalry game against Evans, it didn’t take long to find out.

Diop scored a game-high 22 points – 11 in the third period – as Edgewater closed out the regular season on senior night with at rousing 58-40 win.

The Trojans held a 25-23 lead at the halfway point before the Eagles, who were forced to play recently with only eight players because of suspension and injuries, put the game away on an 18-2 tear in the third.

“All we really talked about at halftime was being tougher,” said Edgewater coach Matt Turner. “On the boards, on offense, on defense, we just needed to play together and not be so selfish like we were in the first half.”

Turner, in his first year at Edgewater after four seasons at Oak Ridge, said much of the conversation was directed toward Diop.

“I called him out at halftime,” said Turner. “I told his he was being soft and that he was making excuses and we were not going to allow that.”

Diop returned to the floor and reaped trouble on the Trojans throughout the remainder of the night. He created turnovers, grabbed rebounds, blocked shots and routinely found the open man for scores down court.

Evans (12-11) came in as a team fighting complacency over the past month, according to head coach Matt O’Callahan. They were held scoreless from the field in the third quarter and made just two of eight attempts from the free throw line.

“You’ve really got to give him credit,” said Turner of Diop.

Evans would pull to within 10 points twice in the fourth but found the deficit too much to overcome down the stretch.

Edgewater (23-3) also got 13 points apiece from seniors Kendrick Perry and Alex Brayman. Both Perry and Diop entered the game averaging 16 points per game. Maurice Turner dropped 19 points on the night for the Trojans.

The Eagles three losses this season came at the hands of Winter Park, Dr. Phillips and Lake Brantley.

– Winter Park defeats Pine Crest –

Last Friday two of the best high school basketball guards in the nation went head-to-head in front of ESPN2 cameras in Boca Raton as Winter Park (22-4) closed out its schedule with an 87-76 win over Fort Lauderdale Pine Crest.

Austin Rivers and Brett Comer

Winter Park junior Austin Rivers was named player of the game after scoring 41 points on 14-of-24 attempts and grabbing seven rebounds, while teammate John David Swanson hit 6-of-7 shots from long range and finished with 22 points.

The win for the Wildcats improved the head coach coaching record for David Bailey to 100-19 overall through four years on the bench.

Pine Crest senior Brandon Knight, who came in averaging 32 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game, scored a game-high 48 points on 15-of-35 attempts at Florida Atlantic’s FAU Arena.

If fans were keeping score at home, they witnessed Rivers and company dismantle a Pine Crest team (the two-time defending Class 3A state champ) that relies heavily on Knight.

And as far as one-on-one comparisons go, Rivers started the game by blowing past Knight early in the first quarter for an easy layup. He ended the contest by draining three three-pointers and converting a three-point play in the second half against the highly coveted recruit.

While Rivers has reportedly given a verbal commitment to Florida with his senior season still on the horizon, Knight is considering Florida, Kansas, Miami, Connecticut, Kentucky and Syracuse.

Winter Park held a comfortable 41-33 lead at the break despite 24 points from Knight as the Wildcats got plenty of contributions from a seven-man rotation.

In the first quarter Robert Lavoglio scored six of his eight points on the night before going on to add eight rebounds. In the second quarter, Adam Jones was moving the ball to open teammates, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. The Fairfield University commit finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.

Brett Comer, playing in the same arena he may oneday suit up in at the collegiate level, scored six points and finished with seven assists.

Winter Park is currently riding a 13-game win streak and has defeated top teams from Georgia, New Jersey, Washington and Washington D.C. while dropping games against East Ridge, Nevada’s Findlay Prep, New Jersey’s Paterson Catholic and Alabama’s Butler.

The Panthers cruised behind an all-around effort by Shane Larkin and a persistent defense that helped hold Alabama-recruit Charles Henderson, Jr. to a quiet 26 points and six rebounds.

Shane Larkin (Photo by Windermere Photography at cdsilveira.smugmug.com)

Larkin hardly looked fazed by a lingering injury to his shooting hand as he shot, attacked and passed his way to 31-points (12-of-20), nine steals, five assists and two blocked shots in the win.

He opened the game with a three-pointer from atop the arc then returned down court on the next possession to drain another from long distance while straddling the baseline.

“When he makes his first couple of shots we really feel like we’re getting in a rhythm,” said Dr. Phillips Coach Anthony Long.

And it never subsided. Larkin defied defenders all game by slashing his way through the lane for buckets one moment then joining teammates for the gritty work expected of them the next.

The Panthers used the inexperience of Coral Reef, who graduated nine contributors to college programs from last year’s title team, to take advantage early and often.

“We wanted to really pressure their guards,” said Long. “We knew Hankerson was going to give us fits but we thought if we could really pressure their guards that we could turn them over some.”

Coral Reef turned the ball over 35 times (seven from Hankerson), which Dr. Phillips turned into 51 points on the other end.

Hankerson’s 23-point outburst in the first half helped get the Barracudas to within eight, 40-32, at the break. But Coral Reef could only muster 13 points in the second half.

The hounding on defense by Dr. Phillips was done by the likes of Pat Ryan (12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, seven assists and five steals) and Chris Thomas (12 points on 6-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds and four blocks), among several others. Keenan Green finished with six rebounds and three steals.

“Not to take nothing away from them because they played well, but we just did it to ourselves,” said Coral Reef Coach Gaston Rodriguez. “We played like the young team that we are.”

And that clearly frustrated Hankerson, who early in the opening quarter routinely attempted to take the game over by himself after Dr. Philips jumped out to a 13-2 advantage. But ultimately, the lanes closed around him in the second half, as he was held to just three points in the final two quarters.

Last season Coral Reef defeated Olympia in the state title game thanks to a 27-point, nine rebound outing from Hankerson. Although Dr. Phillips defeated Olympia in the district tournament, the Panthers fell to the Titans in the regional finals and could only watch the final game from afar.

(note – a condensed version of this story ran on Page 2 of the Nov. 29, 2009 Orlando Sentinel sports section)

– More Dr. Phillips Basketball –

– Team page at DPHoops

– Team page at Panther Zone

– More Hoops Mountain standouts –

In other games, Evans handled Ocala Trinity Catholic, 66-37, as Drekalo Clayton scored 15 points, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked three shots. Also coming up big was Maurice Turner with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Mike Paramore and Travius Johnson each had three assists to help the Trojans post 50 points from inside the paint.

West Orange got 10 points and four assists from DeAndre Carter in a 60-50 victory against Miami Dr. Krop while Jaylon Bell added 12 points on 4-of-9 shots from beyond arc for the Warriors. Darius Johnson led the team with six rebounds and Dominic Pierre-Lois had five points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists as West Orange got 28 points in all from off the bench.

Orlando Christian Prep led by a 30-6 score at halftime against Plantation American Heritage before cruising to a 58-32 win. Jordan Montgomery scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbed four rebounds while Adonis Burbage contributed 10 points in the win. Orlando Parker had nine rebounds, six points and three assists and two blocks as OCP turned 28 turnovers into 45 points.