Welcome to this edition of Orlando Sports Central Highlights…

– Orlando Magic Get New Look –

Fans will either grow to love it or hate it. Either way, the Orlando Magic will sport at bit of a new look this fall when they open the new Amway Center.

From the Magic: The new logo incorporates the Magic’s current jersey wordmark, giving a more integrated look.  It also continues the team’s colors with the Magic blue, Magic black and Magic silver.  The updated look includes the team’s current secondary logo with the iconic star ball for a smooth transition from old to new, building on the heritage and history of the Magic from its birth in 1989.

“This new logo signifies the beginning of a new era of excellence for the Orlando Magic and our fans,” said Magic Chief Operating Officer Alex Martins. “We are excited about where our team is and the direction we are headed as we build on the legend already created and look forward to what the future holds.”

– UCF’s Culpepper Back In Action –

If all goes well between now and then, former UCF quarterback Daunte Culpepper will be back in the Florida Citrus Bowl on Thursday, Oct. 21 with his new football team, the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League. The Mountain Lions will be in Orlando as visitors of the Florida Tuskers.

The 1998 All-American and Sammy Baugh Trophy recipient has reunited with two of his former coaches. Culpepper’s first NFL head coach, Dennis Green, is entering his second season, as is offensive coordinator Mike Kruczek, who coached him as a Golden Knight.

Green selected Culpepper with the 11th pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. After three trips to the Pro Bowl while with the Minnesota Vikings, he later wound up floating between the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions.

Following 95 career NFL starts with 23,208 passing yards, 146 touchdowns and 101 interceptions, his desire to continue playing the game of football prompted the reunion.

“When the opportunity came for me to sign with the UFL and play for coach Green in Sacramento I could not resist,” said Culpepper.

He’s also looking forward to teaming back up with Kruczek, whose offense helped Culpepper become just the third player in NCAA history to pass for more than 10,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 in a career. As a Knight, Culpepper passed for 11,412 career yards with 84 touchdowns.

After being named the starter in Minnesota in 2000, he led the Vikings to a 7-0 mark during a season that ended in an NFC Championship Game loss to the New York Giants, who were coached by Las Vegas Locos Head Coach Jim Fassel.

– UCF’s Coward An Outdoor All-American –

Of the three UCF track and field athletes competing at nationals this past weekend, it was sophomore Jackie Coward who came away with the program’s best-ever showing.

Coward became the first Knight to earn NCAA Outdoor All-American honors when she qualified fourth for the 100-meter hurdles at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. After clocking in at 13.04 seconds to qualify, she ran that same time in the finals for fifth place overall. Virginia Tech’s Queen Quedith Harrison won the title at 12.67.

By advancing to the championship stage, Coward became a two-time All-American. She previously advanced to the finals of the 60-meter hurdles at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Sophomore Sheila Paul (100-meter dash) and freshman Sonnisha Williams (long jump) also competed on the campus of the University of Oregon but did not advance to championship contention.

– Winter Park FHSAA All-Sports Champs –

Continuing its tradition of winning, the boys and girls athletic programs at Winter Park High School swept the Class 6A Florida High School Athletic Association Floyd E. Lay Sunshine Cup All-Sports Awards for the 2009-10 school year.

The Wildcats, with 1,173 total points, turned in an impressive margin of victory over Dr. Phillips (836.5) in the overall standings.

More details on standings for all classifications are available at the FHSAA site.

– Orlando Magic Youth Basketball Camps –

The Orlando Magic is hosting youth basketball camps throughout Central Florida this summer designed for boys and girls of all skill levels ages 7-16. While many camp dates are already sold out, limited space is still available for a number of others.

Each camp session offers instruction provided by the National Basketball Academy and other top area coaches offering personalized attention, drills, skill development, live games and an individual player evaluation.

All participants receive an official camp T-shirt and headband, a full-size Magic basketball, a ticket to a 2010-11 Orlando Magic home game in the new Amway Center, daily giveaways, prizes, awards and other trivia, contests and games. Guest appearances by Magic players are subject to availability.

–– Remaining Dates/Locations –

– June 21-25 at Lake Mary Preparatory School – 650 Rantoul Lane, Lake Mary 32746

– June 21-25 at 24 Hour Fitness – 15 West Crystal Lake Dr., Orlando 32806

– June 28-July 2 at Orlando Sports Center (Vince Carter’s Orlando Magic Basketball Camp) – 6700 Kingspointe Parkway, Orlando 32819

– July 5-9 at The First Academy – 2667 Bruton Blvd., Orlando 32805

– July 5-9 at Celebration School K-8 – 1809 Celebration Blvd., Celebration 34747

– July 5-9 at Warner University (Jason Williams’ 2010 Overnight Basketball Camp) – 13895 Highway 27, Lake Wales 33859

– July 12-16 at Willow Creek Church – 4725 East Lake Drive, Winter Springs 32708

– July 12-16 at Lake Mary Preparatory School – 650 Rantoul Lane, Lake Mary 32746

– July 19-23 at Pro-Health and Fitness Center – 8705 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne 32940

– August 2-6 at Orlando Christian Prep – 500 South Semoran Blvd., Orlando 32807

– August 2-6 at Lyman High School – 865 S. Ronald Regan Blvd., Longwood 32750

– August 9-13 at Magic Practice Court – RDV Sportsplex at 8701 Maitland Summit Blvd, Orlando 32810

– August 9-13 at Bolles Middle School – 7400 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville 32217

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –

The Florida Gators, seeded No. 3 in the tournament, advanced to the field of eight for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2005. They defeated the Miami Hurricanes 4-3 in 10 Innings on Saturday night in front of a large crowd of 5,783 at McKethan Stadium in Gainesville.

The Hurricanes committed seven errors in the game, including one in the top of the 10th by right fielder Chris Pelaez, who misplayed a fly ball hit by freshman shortstop Nolan Fontana, out of West Orange High School. Fontana would end up scoring the game-winning run on a RBI double by Austin Maddox.

Lake Brantley High School alum Greg Larson entered the game in the bottom of the 10th with one on base and one out. The sophomore proceeded to catch freshman Michael Broad looking on strikes and then force sophomore Rony Rodriguez to ground out to Fontana at shortstop, who fired a bullet across the diamond to Preston Tucker at first base for the final out. Larson collected his third save and was greeted by teammates as the celebration began.

The Hurricanes made nine errors in their two games of Super Regional play, which as a result denied local kids such as freshman Steve Ewing out of University High School and Ethan Bornstein from Winter Park High School a chance to make it to Omaha. The Gators opened Super Regionals with a 7-2 win on Friday night.

Fontana and Larson join sophomore Ben McMahan and senior Clint Franklin as players from the Central Florida area with spots on the Florida roster. McMahon played his high school ball at Bishop Moore while Franklin played at Timber Creek.

Joining the Gators at the World Series are the Florida State Seminoles, who are making the trip for the 20th time in program history and 14th time under head coach Mike Martin. The Seminoles defeated Vanderbilt 7-6 in the decisive Game 3 of the team’s Super Regional matchup at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee.

FSU, like the Gators, have four players from the Orlando area on its roster including senior outfielder Ohmed Danesh out of Dr. Phillips High School. Junior infielder Stuart Tapley and freshman Corben Madden both played baseball at Boone High School. Junior pitcher John Gast hails from Lake Brantley, where he was a teammate with Florida’s Larson from 2005-07.

For Gast, Tapley, and Danesh, this marks their second trip to Omaha in three years as FSU advanced in 2008, going 0-2 after losing to Stanford and Miami. The Seminoles open play this time around against TCU while Florida takes on No. 6 UCLA. The two state rivals could meet up early on as both are in the same bracket.

– More Local Players In College World Series –

Senior second baseman Mike Freeman out of Edgewater High School and sophomore shortstop Brad Miller from Olympia High School helped Clemson advance to the World Series. The Tigers take on No. 1 Arizona State to start the week’s final round of elimination play. Junior utility player Robert Beary out of Apopka started in 22 games for South Carolina, playing in 41 games on the year. The Gamecocks get underway against Oklahoma.

In the second day of the MLB First-Year Player Draft, local baseball players began to be selected by big league clubs. Below is a look at who they were, where they were picked, and what team made the call.

– 2010 MLB Draft Top-10 Local Picks –

– LHP Justin Nicolino (University) selected No. 80 overall by Toronto in 2nd round. WESH Video

– RHP A.J. Cole (Oviedo) selected No. 116 overall by Washington in 4th round.

– CF Mason Williams (West Orange) selected No. 145 overall by NY Yankees in 4th round.

– LHP Alex Burgos (Osceola/State College of Florida) selected No. 163 overall by Detroit in 5th round.

– LHP John Gast (Lake Brantley/Florida State) selected No. 199 overall by St. Louis in 6th round.

– RF Jose Dore (The First Academy) selected No. 244 overall by San Diego in 8th round.

– SS Mike Freeman (Edgewater/Clemson) selected No. 331 overall by Arizona in 11th round.

– RHP Cody Allen (Boone/UCF/St. Petersburg JC) selected No. 480 overall by Cleveland in 16th round.

– RHP Owen Dew (UCF) selected No. 630 overall by Cleveland in 21st round.

– C Shane Brown (Winter Park/UCF) selected No. 715 overall by NY Yankees in 23rd round.

– More Local MLB Draft Picks –

LF Chris Duffy (Cypress Creek/UCF) at No. 801 overall to Philadelphia (26th round); CF Jay Gonzalez (Freedom) No. 833 overall to Boston (27th round); RHP Tim Griffin (Rollins College) No. 852 overall to Seattle (28th round); LHP Ronald Schreurs (Freedom) No. 1,296 overall to Toronto (43rd round); LHP Jimmy Hodgskin (Bishop Moore) No. 1,311 overall to Philadelphia (43rd round); OF Tyler Marincov (Timber Creek) No. 1,453 overall to Detroit (48th round).

– Draft Notes –

– The UCF Knights have had nine different players selected in the MLB Draft over the last three years, including Brown, who has now been drafted twice by the Yankees. Last season he was picked in the 47th round. In all, UCF has had its baseball players drafted by MLB organizations 73 times since 1979. Dew was taken in the 33rd round in 2009 by the Los Angeles Angels. Duffy, who was selected in the 9th round out of high school, completed his four-year career as a finalist for the 2010 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award as one of the top amateur players in the nation.

– The Florida Collegiate Summer League had the highest number of current or former baseball players drafted over the three-day MLB selection process as 25 FCSL players were taken, including five in the first eight rounds. A complete list of draftees is available at Florida League.

The Wildcats had trouble coming up with possessions with each shot on goal that the Wolves were unable to capitalize on. But it didn’t take long before momentum shifted in favor of Winter Park for good en route to a dominating 16-7 effort to stay alive in the postseason.

On Tuesday the Wildcats – 14-4 overall after being hit with three forfeits – travel to Vero Beach for an opening round play-in game.

Despite the forfeitures earlier in the season, because of the use of two ineligible players, the Wildcats have lost just once on the field this season when back on Feb. 17 Jacksonville Bolles came away with a 12-11 win.

Head coach Andy Sinclair says that if his team continues to get possessions by way of face-offs and ground balls, much in the same fashion they managed to do in the second half against Timber Creek, it should make for quite a compliment to the team’s stingy defensive efforts.

“It really comes down to heart, and I think the score shows how much better we got at facing-off as the game went on,” he said.

Sinclair credited Andrew Dwyer for his play in the final two quarter against Timber Creek (12-3) as he continued to earn the possessions that allowed the Wildcats to continue attacking the net.

“He did what seniors are supposed to do and stepped up and won the majority of face-offs he took for us in the second half,” said Sinclair.

“That was key because I don’t know that we would have bounced back in the third the way we did.”

– The Details –

Winter Park tallied a near two-to-one advantage in chasing down loose balls and rallied from a three-goal deficit late in the first half to run away with the district.

After winning the opening face-off against Timber Creek (12-3) and getting an immediate goal from Erik Groninger – his first of five on the night – the Wolves would answer by putting Winter Park on its heels over the ensuing seven minutes.

But multiple shots on goal by Timber Creek got them nothing. They finally struck pay dirt when Ryan Fennell got a steal and went one-on-one to tie the game. It wasn’t until 4:45 remained in the quarter that Winter Park regained the lead when Garret Manno put back a missed shot.

Timber Creek then tied the game off a Trey Gordon goal and took the lead 3-2 when Max Bush scored with 1:31 to go in the first.

The Wolves took that momentum and ran with it for much of the second quarter as Steven Tilmon scored twice, Bush scored again and Blake Gwizdalski added another goal in between two Winter Park scores from Graham Macnab.

The 7-4 lead for Timber Creek was in jeopardy, though. And hardly anyone even saw the shift in power coming.

Two face-off wins led to two Winter Park goals from Max Chomic and Nicco Vella in the final two minutes of the second quarter, which began an unanswered 12-goal scoring spree for the Wildcats.

Vella scored with seven minutes to go in the third to tie the game at 7-7, followed by three goals in the period from Groninger to give the Wildcats a 10-7 lead after three.

Six more goals in the fourth quarter padded stats for Mark Bergquist (two goals), Groninger, Matthew Williams, Macnab and Ray Mazzie.

But in the third game between the two rivals, the comeback attempt for Edgewater was not enough as Winter Park’s Brett Comer dropped 23 points to help the Wildcats move along to the region finals – on Saturday at Jacksonville First Coast – with a 70-59 win.

Also still alive in the hunt for the Class 6A state title is Dr. Phillips, who will host St. Petersburg this weekend after winning 57-45 over Vero Beach. Oak Ridge will host Brooksville Nature Coast in Class 4A after narrowly escaping Gainesville Eastside, 55-54.

– Winter Park over Edgewater –

– 1st Quarter

The Eagles got early production in the first quarter on both ends of the floor from Patrick Diop (four points, rebound, forced turnover), Kent Gainous (blocked shot, rebound) and Alex Brayman (43rd 3-pointer of season, rebound) while Winter Park got going behind the likes of Adam Jones (four points, three rebounds) and Robert Lovaglio (two points, rebound) on Tuesday night.

Most impressive was that Edgewater held Winter Park standout guard Austin Rivers to zero attempts from the field over the opening eight minutes. What hurt them most though was that they failed to capitalize on scoring chances when they were there for the taking. And that seemed to be the theme the entire night.

The Eagles lead 9-8 with under a minute to play before the game changed in favor of the Wildcats for good once John David Swanson knocked down a 3-pointer near the baseline to put the Wildcats up 11-9.

The standout play of the quarter came nearly two minutes into the game, when Comer swatted the ball from Gainous near the foul line, saved it from going out of bounds, then sent a no-look pass down court to Isaac Turner. Edgewater’s Kendrick Perry got in on the action shortly thereafter by flinging a pass over the head of Rivers to find Gainous under the hoop for an easy lay-in.

– 2nd Quarter

Rivers wouldn’t take his first shot of the night until less than four minutes remained in the second quarter. That’s when he hit a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc to put the Wildcats up big, 27-9.

Winter Park opened the period with the kind of run in the first four minutes that would knock the wind out of most anyone. Edgewater turned the ball over three times and missed five-straight shots during that stretch until Perry put an end to the bleeding by converting a 3-point play that kick-started a 7-0 run. He would end the quarter with a buzzer-beater for the Eagles, though that barely cut into Winter Park’s 33-18 lead.

The Wildcats again got solid play from Comer (nine points, two rebounds, assist), Jones (four points, two blocks, assist) and Lovaglio (four points, two rebounds, assist, blocked shot) in the quarter.

Comer’s second highlight-worthy play of the night came early in the quarter when he took a long pass down court from Lovaglio, faked to his right with Perry guarding him, then came back to his left and leaned forward as he hoisted an underhanded shot that bounced high off the glass and fell through for a score. A foul on Perry sent him to the line where he completed the 3-point play.

– 3rd Quarter

The Comer Show continued in the third as Winter Park kept holding off Edgewater even as the Eagles cut the deficit to 10 points for a brief moment with 2:35 to go in the frame. That’s when Comer promptly drove inside for a layup and Swanson connected on a 3-pointer to help keep the cushion intact.

The third jaw-dropping play on the night from Comer took place with nearly a minute to spare as he spun off of a defender, fell to his knees while keeping his dribble, and emerging from the hardwood with the ball in tow – just as Brayman made a play on it – and drained a shot from just inside the paint.

Winter Park led 51-37 after three as Comer scored seven with an assist and Jones scored four with a blocked shot.

Edgewater kept fighting though behind the charge of Brayman (four points, two rebounds, steal), Perry (six points, rebound, steal) and Devinn Heard (four points, rebound).

– 4th Quarter

The final quarter proved to be nothing more than a formality as the Eagles could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way, even as Winter Park gave them every opportunity to do so plenty of times late in the game.

It was missed baskets and turnovers that kept the home team at bay.

The final push for the Eagles was orchestrated by the efforts of Diop (10 points, block), Perry (five points, rebound, steal) and Gainous (two points, two rebounds, steal).

Lovaglio was the standout for the Wildcats in the fourth with eight points, three rebounds and a steal. Rivers, who despite having trouble at the foul line (4-for-9 on the night), finished with six points in the quarter to help secure the win.

That is if they can escape Edgewater High School with a win on Tuesday night after recently dropping the District 4 title game there 73-71 in overtime to the Eagles.

No. 5 Edgewater (26-3) opened regional play with a 64-45 win in the quarterfinals over Lake Brantley last Thursday while Winter Park (24-5) – ranked No. 1 in the state – dominated No. 2 Winter Springs (25-4), 83-60.

Among the top Class 6A teams in the state (according to the final Associated Press poll) still alive this week in postseason play are No. 3 Dr. Phillips (hosting Vero Beach), No. 6 Coral Gables (at No. 8 Miami Dr. Krop), No. 7 Wharton (at St. Petersburg), No. 9 First Coast (hosting Mainland) and No. 10 Boyd Anderson (at Santaluces).

No. 4 Kissimmee Osceola had its season come to an end in the opening round of Class 5A play while No. 6 Oak Ridge is on the road this week in Class 4A against No. 4 Gainesville Eastside.

– Winter Park over Winter Springs –

The matchup between the Wildcats and Winter Springs proved to be more hype than was anticipated as Winter Park broke open a close game after the first period and coasted to the win.

They did it with relative ease in front of a packed house that witnessed Winter Park junior guard Austin Rivers drop 41 points on the night, including seven 3-pointers. He entered the game averaging 23.7 points per outing.

Nobody could guard him. Not Mike McCloskey. Not Brian Holmes. Not Daniel Kuhl. Not Kerwin Hogue. Each of them had up-close views of the ball as it left the hands of Rivers from beyond the arc at some point while one-on-one with him in the game.

Rivers played with a look of determination after coming off of that district championship loss. It didn’t hurt either to have Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski in attendance.

The Bears got off to a solid start early in the first period behind rebounds from Spencer Mitchell and multiple buckets from Kuhl and Jacabo. But following a timeout, while trailing 7-2, the Wildcats returned to the floor as the aggressors as Rivers went to draining three’s at will en route to scoring 11 of his team’s 17 points in the period to take a one-point lead.

It wouldn’t get this close the rest of the way.

By the end of the first half Rivers had already posted 20 points and drained six 3-pointers in helping Winter Park take a 40-21 lead into the break.

When Rivers wasn’t launching the long-ball, John David Swanson was connecting on them in the second quarter.

And though it is necessary to point out that very little the Bears threw up managed to find the cylinder – no matter how many times Winter Springs tried from the outside – the all-around play of the Wildcats is what won this game.

Robert Lovaglio, Adam Jones and Brett Comer were blocking shots, grabbing rebounds and making steals in the opening periods to help maintain momentum for the Wildcats.

The highlight of the first half came during a two-on-one fast break with 20 seconds remaining as Comer dished a behind-the-back pass in the paint to James Ferrell for the easy lay-in.

That capped a 23-5 second quarter for the Wildcats and perhaps said all there was to say.

Rivers went on to score seven points, record a steal, assist on a bucket by Jones and grab three rebounds in the third period. Despite eight points from Austin Keel for Winter Springs, including his 69th 3-pointer of the season (along with five points from Jacabo) the Bears trailed 54-39 after three.

And although Winter Springs kept knocking on the door as they attempted to make a close game out of it, Winter Park continued to turn them away in the fourth with Rivers, Jones and Ferrell answering scores from Holmes and Jacabo down the stretch.

Jacabo fouled out midway through the fourth with a team-high 18 points. He will play college basketball at Stetson next season. Holmes has committed to North Florida.

Jones scored 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Winter Park.

The loss was the first at home for Winter Springs this season and was the fifth win in the series over the past six meetings for the Wildcats.

Winter Park previously defeated Winter Springs on their home floor earlier in the season en route to winning the Winter Park Rotary Tip-Off title, 59-32, on Dec. 5, 2009.

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.

Winter Park proved that yet again last week when Dr. Phillips paid a visit and were turned away 66-56 even as Rivers missed the entire fourth quarter due to foul trouble. It was his first game back after sitting out two previous outings because of an ankle injury.

Austin Rivers (left) and Shane Larkin

The matchup between arguably the two best teams in the area was a tight one throughout.

Winter Park built a 21-13 lead after the first quarter because of tight defense and opportunistic rebounding. They then carried a 37-30 lead into the halftime break after too many missed opportunities late in the second quarter cost the Panthers.

With a two-point lead heading into the fourth, 49-47, the Wildcats turned more miscues on behalf of Dr. Phillips into points on the other end of the floor to essentially put the game away.

“We stepped it up a little bit on the defensive end,” said Winter Park coach David Bailey. “We forced them into some tough shots and then were able to get the rebound and push the ball in transition to get some easy baskets.”

Slowing down Dr. Phillips standout guard Shane Larkin was no easy task though, as the junior went for a game-high 25 points in the loss. But if anybody else was paying attention to this particular game, then they came away from it realizing that if keying in on Rivers is the game plan that they best be prepared to get familiar with the supporting cast.

Brett Comer (#3) and James Ferrell

Brett Comer, who lost his father to cancer earlier that morning, finished with 16 points to lead Winter Park. Isaac Turner added 15 points to help make up for a frustrating night had by Rivers, who got caught up in foul trouble and had his minutes limited in his return.

In the final quarter it was solid efforts turned in by Comer and Turner, along with John David Swanson, James Ferrell, Adam Jones and Robert Lavaglio which eventually got the job done.

“That’s what you need to be successful,” said Bailey. “You need other guys to step up when it’s their opportunity to shine and those guys are playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

That the Wildcats have proven to be successful without their star player only reassures this team that they can compete with anyone.

“It does a lot for our psyche,” said Bailey. “It shows that we’re a good basketball team when we’re ready to get out there and play, even when one of our guys goes down.”

The entire country will get an up-close look at the Wildcats tonight (Feb. 5) at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 when Winter Park (20-4) takes on Pine Crest (19-2) from Ft. Lauderdale.

– More Winter Park vs. Dr. Phillips –

Video at WFTV

Looking to become the first team from the state of Florida to win the prestigious tournament since Miami Senior did so in 1996, the Wildcats committed too many turnovers and missed too many shots in the final four minutes before succumbing to Paterson, 62-54.

The loss came despite 27 points from Rivers, one night after going for 45 points in the semifinals, as Winter Park (8-3) finished the game almost the same way they started it by being outscored 22-10 in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats started a bit flat-footed by turning the ball over once and missing their first six shots in the opening three minutes of the game as Paterson built a 13-0 lead.

From there Winter Park opened up an impressive run that would extend well into the second quarter as they took the lead into the halftime break, 31-26, on 14-of-26 shooting from the field.

The first quarter ended on a 14-2 run for the Wildcats, which started with a tip-in by senior Adam Jones with 4:47 remaining in the period. Jones was busy throughout the night blocking shots, rebounding and helping to create turnovers while buckets by Rivers, Robert Lovaglio and John David Swanson helped make Winter Park competitive.

The run for the Wildcats would swell to 27-4 at one point as they built a 27-17 advantage with less than two minutes to go in the first half. Again, It was all-around efforts from Lovaglio, Rivers, Jones and David Swanson that fueled the surge.

Winter Park took the lead at 18-17 in the second quarter on a circus shot by Rivers as he drove to the hole, turned his back to the hoop, and bounced in a shot. Rivers, who had 11 points in the opening half, would convert a similar play several minutes later.

But Paterson shook off the barrage from Winter Park and overcame the eight turnovers that resulted in 16 points for the boys in orange and black to trim the Wildcat lead.

The adjustments made by Paterson Catholic proved beneficial in the third quarter. They moved the ball better than they had over the first 12 minutes, attacked the rim with regularity, pressured the Wildcats into mistakes, and briefly took the lead again with just over a minute to play in the quarter on a set of free throws.

While Lovaglio and Jones continued to pull down the boards and block shots, Rivers continued to showcase his speed and versatility in front of a packed house, which included his NBA coaching dad Doc Rivers, by floating through the lane to drain shots one moment and knocking down a long three-pointer the next. The final shot of the quarter by Rivers put his team up by four entering the final stanza.

Then things really got unhinged from that point on. Paterson simply had more pep in their step as they capitalized on easy opportunities to score while Winter Park faltered to maintain the same level of play on both ends of the court that they exibited earlier in the contest.

After Rivers put Winter Park up 51-50 following a three-pointer with 3:41 remaining, two straight turnovers led to five quick points for Paterson and the Wildcats never recovered.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Just 16 seconds remained when Rawlings withstood a ferocious rush from the West Seniors at the line of scrimmage and connected on the 32-yard game-winning field goal.

“It was very tense,” said Rawlings of lining up for the attempt. “I was just focused on getting my leg through it and getting the ball through the upright. That’s all I had on my mind.”

The tense part came when Rawlings was given a little extra time to think things over as he was held up by a timeout from the West sideline. Once the ball was snapped a fierce collision took place up front before the kick hit its mark with plenty room to spare, prompting the celebration to get underway.

“It was indescribable,” Rawlings said with a grin while reliving the moment. “I knew right there that it was the game winner.”

The field goal capped off a 13-play drive that began midway through the fourth quarter and drained the remaining five-plus minutes to virtually nothing. Oak Ridge quarterback Baylin Trujillo converted on fourth-and-two during the drive on a keeper up the middle while several others played key roles.

The East got big gains on the ground from Colonial’s Jermaine Broomfield and University’s Curtis Riley, along with a 23-yard pickup on a throw from Pine Castle’s Michael Slack to Orlando Lutheran tight end Faysal Shafaat down the stretch.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Slack finished 6-of-9 passing for 126 yards as he delivering precise passes that landed right on target while Broomfield tallied 52 yards on eight carries. Shafaat caught four balls for 66 yards, one of which he kept a hold of even after taking a jarring hit over the middle from an opposing player.

“He told me ‘Great throw. If you would of threw it any higher I would have gotten laid out even worse’,” said Slack of the good-natured encounter they shared in the huddle following the play.

It was Slack’s touchdown toss of 39 yards to Boone’s speedy Denard Lucas, while in stride with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter, that tied the game at 14-14 and breathed new life into an East squad that had little trouble moving the ball. If only they could have turned those yards into points by reaching the end zone earlier.

Lucas was eager to get the call though after already having told a teammate he was bound to score a touchdown. He did so two plays after hauling in a 42-yarder from Trujillo.

“The (defensive backs) were playing man (coverage) and they were trying to bump me, but it wasn’t happening,” said Lucas, who finished with three receptions for 94 yards in the win.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Those two scores in the second half by the East were set up by a stingy defensive effort, most notably from defensive lineman Jordan Little from Cypress Creek who was in on two sacks on third downs which resulted in punts the other way.

They came on drives where the West routinely found themselves working for room to run from deep in their own territory as they tried to hang on to a 14-7 lead after returning to the field from the halftime break.

Among the East defenders making it tough on the West were Joseph Jones and Andres Jurado of Cypress Creek, Ryan Moore and Sean Brown from Colonial, Conrad Walko and Josh Kerlin of Pine Castle, along with Timber Creek’s Jacob Wainwright and Winter Park’s Corey Gonslaves.

Those efforts proved to be beneficial after having watched Ocoee’s Chris DeVaughn jump on a Trujillo pass in the flats for an interception which he raced 72 yards along the sideline to paydirt less than three minutes into the night.

But the equalizer was set up when a fumble that Boone’s Tabarie Sullivan landed on in a pile of players was recovered following a muffed punt near midfield. Eleven plays later, which included a fourth-down conversation, the game was tied at 7-7 just a minute into the second period as Riley faked to a running back, swung around wide to the right, and sprinted his way into the end zone past defenders.

“When I took off towards the sideline I seen some people in front of me and I knew I had to put a move on them,” said Riley. He would finish with 53 yards on 10 carries and 29 yards passing nf 2-of-4 attempts.

The West Seniors promptly replied with their best drive of the game two series later. They took the lead with a minute left in the first half when Robbie Matay hooked up with Dr. Phillips teammate Greg Slones in the corner of the end zone from four yards out. Only the momentum wouldn’t carry over into the final two quarters.

In the loss, Dr. Phillips running back Matt Williams had five strong runs for 39 yards and Apopka’s Joe Dennis made big tackles on defense for the West. Other defensive standouts included Matt Hunt and Matt Lambert of Bishop Moore, Delroy Steele (Jones), Jarret Leppert (Apopka), Michael Lewis (Ocoee), Cornelious Sigler (West Orange) and Donnie Bartolomucci (Olympia).