The Master’s Academy
boys basketball team defeats Gainesville P.K. Yonge in the team’s first state boys basketball finalfour appearance.
With his team clinging to a one-point lead with 21⁄2 minutes to go in a boys basketball state semifinal Wednesday, Master’s Academy coach Reggie Kohn could have called a time out and told his team to spread the floor and run some clock to protect its slim advantage.
Instead, he did what he’s come to know is the best strategy in tense moments: he told Jose Placer to go get the ball.
Placer, a 6-foot-1 senior point guard, handled the ball on every possession down the stretch and beat the pressure applied by Gainesville P.K. Yonge to lead Master’s to a 52-48 semifinal victory in its first FHSAA boys basketball state appearance.
“Coach has utmost confidence in me. He allows me to use my ability, make plays, trust my teammates,” said Placer, who scored seven of his team-leading 16 points in the final 2:14 of the game.
The Eagles (23-7) will play defending state champion Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy (22-6) in today’s 2 p.m. final at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Master’s started its win on a 13-2 run and appeared ready to blow the Blue Wave (18-11) out. But P.K. Yonge clawed back and took a short-lived 32-30 lead.
Placer scored on a drive to regain the lead to start the final quarter. Master’s expanded its advantage to 43-36 after seniors Joe French, Connor Doobay and Emanuel Hernandez combined for 8 points.
The Blue Wave responded by making three 3-point shots in four trips downcourt, and it was time for Placer to take over. He went coast to coast vs. pressure to score at the 2:14 mark and then continued to attack and drew fouls three times inside the final minute. He made four of his six free throws for a 50-45 cushion.
“Jose made plays at the end,” Kohn said. “He’s been able to lead us all year. He needs to lead us [today].”
Hernandez (14 points) set the tone for Master’s quick start by scoring two inside baskets to start the game and blocking two shots in the first 31⁄2 minutes.
Doobay added 9 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.
Placer said Master’s “might have let off the gas a little bit” after running out to the early lead.
“Our team is resilient. We never quit,” Placer said. “That’s how we come out with wins. We just fight.”
The Eagles’ first two baskets were on inside opportunities for Hernandez — exactly the type of shots Kohn said his team had to have to contend for a championship.
Aside from a 3-point shot by Joe French and a free throw, 48 of the Eagles’ other 49 points were products of a shot in the paint.