Class 2A champ OCP leads pack
BOYS BASKETBALL
At least one area team has won a Florida High School Athletic Association boys basketball state championship in 14 of the past 15 seasons. But that streak wouldn’t be what it is had Orlando Christian Prep not emerged as a small-school hoops powerhouse.
The Warriors on Friday won their eighth state title in a 13-year display of dominance. OCP broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter and beat Jacksonville Impact Christian 58-44 in the Class 2A final.
The only Orlando Christian Prep teams to win more games in a season were its 30-2 Class 1A title team of 2008-09 that featured former UCF standout Keith Clanton and the 30-1 Class 2A champ squad of 2013-14 that lost only to Greensboro Day School of North Carolina.
This season’s edition lost only once inside Florida. The Warriors were beaten 55-51 in their third regular-season game by Daytona Beach Mainland in a semifinal of Winter Park’s Rotary Tip-Off Classic. OCP won its final 20 games after losing 44-42 to New Jersey power St. Benedict’s Prep (30-4) in a game played in North Carolina.
Treig Burke has coached OCP to three state titles and a runner-up finish in four years as head coach. He was an assistant for the school’s first five title teams.
These are the final Sentinel Super 16 team rankings for the 2019-20 boys basketball season. The Super 16 is composed of Orlando area teams that participate in the FHSAA playoffs. That does not include area independent powers Montverde Academy, West Oaks Academy and Central Pointe Christian Academy.
Teams are listed with their final win-loss record and previous ranking in parenthesis (if different):
1. Orlando Christian Prep (29-2): Sophomores Ven-Allen Lubin and A.J. Brown were the top players on a team that brings back five of its best nine. Warriors figure to be preseason Class 2A No. 1 again.
2. Seminole (27-2): Special senior group spurred ‘Noles to first boys basketball final four in 40 years. They were runner-up to Miramar in 7A, capping four-year stretch that saw 98 wins, three district titles.
3. Windermere Prep (27-4): Lakers won 14 in a row before losing 54-53 at Class 3A state runner-up Jacksonville Jackson. Five top scorers were underclassmen, including 6-foot-9 soph Fanbo Zeng and juniors Zavien Williams and Elijah Hulsewe.
4. (7) Oak Ridge (21-9): Pioneers faced toughest schedule in Central Florida according to MaxPreps but showed resilience with three region road wins to reach 7A final four. Avenged district final loss with 72-70 OT win at Lake Nona.
5. (4) Ocoee (22-8): Knights won 14 of their final 16 games, including first two region wins in program history before losing 68-65 at state runner-up Seminole.
They’re losing 12 seniors, but JV and freshman teams were strong.
6. Jones (17-11): Tigers started 0-7 without football players, then came on strong to reach region final for the first time since 2011. Teams defeated down the stretch included Oak Ridge, Dr. Phillips and Lake Highland Prep twice.
7. (6) Dr. Phillips (20-8): Resurgent DP won eight of nine, including district title, before losing region rematch against Ocoee. Sophomores Denzel Aberdeen and Ernest Udeh Jr., and freshman Joseph Poventud due back.
8. Apopka (19-10): Blue Darters lost to DP 58-56 in district semifinal but were at-large qualifier and scored first region win since 1971 before falling at Seminole. Junior point guard John Latimer III is the key returnee.
9. Windermere High (21-9): Wolverines won nine of final 12, losing only to DP, Apopka and Oak Ridge while beating Oak Ridge, Master’s and Osceola twice in that stretch. Stellar guards E.J. Yorke, Trey Moss, Kanye Jones are all juniors.
10. The Master’s Academy (22-8): Eagles won 10 of final 12 games to get to final 16 in 3A before losing to Windermere Prep. TMA will have to reload again with scoring leaders Drew Thelwell and Corey Sawyer graduating.
11. Lake Highland Prep (24-7): Highlanders won 12 of 13 and claimed district and region titles before losing to 4A runner-up Tampa Catholic in state semifinal. Six of seven leading players are due back.
12. Central Florida Christian Academy (22-8): Eagles, with zero starters back from 2018-19 state title team, made another run and gave 2A champ OCP some trouble in region final. Riley Kugel is one of state’s top sophomores.
13. Lake Nona (21-6): Lions smashed school record for wins, including a 50-49 district final upset victory over Oak Ridge. Lost an immediate region rematch 72-70 to Pioneers, who advanced to 7A final four.
14. Kissimmee Osceola (19-8): Kowboys came in with only one returning starter, senior Armani Thomas and concluded with consecutive losses to Windermere High. That ended a streak of six consecutive district championships.
15. (16) West Orange (17-12): Warriors went 5-10 against region qualifiers in brutal schedule, including wins versus Windermere and CFCA. Future is bright for juniors Mike McCalister and Jonas Polynice and freshman Jalen Debose
16. (15) Mount Dora Christian (27-2): Bulldogs went 25-0 in regular season and scored first region victory since 2006 against Florida Prep before falling to 2A state champ OCP. Junior Rodney Bryant averaged 19.8 ppg.
Honorable mention: Boone (17-10), Evans (14-13), Leesburg (17-10), Olympia (15-11), Oviedo (16-10), The First Academy (15-12), Timber Creek (19-10).