DP edges Windermere 38-37 in powerhouse defensive struggle
Don’t let the low final score of 38-37 fool you. Monday’s Metro Conference West Division boys basketball tournament final between Dr. Phillips and Windermere wasn’t ugly at all.
If you love defense, this was the game for you.
There were plenty of tough defensive stops, steals and blocked shots from two of the top Class 7A teams in Florida. In the end, it was an attempted block with one second remaining that was called a foul that made the difference.
Dr. Phillips senior Riley Kugel put up a jumper from about 17 feet with time running out. Windermere junior standout Sean Stewart contested the shot and was called for a foul.
Kugel hit both free throws to give the Panthers the victory.
Stewart had given fourth-ranked Windermere (15-3) the lead with 9 seconds remaining on a thunderous dunk.
“We executed well to go up by a point, and we played well defensively on the last play,” Wolverines coach Mark Grisek said. “The foul was called and credit to [Kugel] for hitting the free throws.”
Before the fourth quarter, neither team led by more than 4 points. No. 2 Dr. Phillips (15-3) scored the first 6 points in the fourth quarter to go up 7 before an 8-2 run put Windermere up 37-36 prior to the final play.
“Our guys defended great today,” Panthers coach Ben Witherspoon said. “Our zone made it tough to score and they really cared about playing defense.”
Stewart, a 6-foot-8 Duke commit, had 11 points to go with 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks. Only 3 of his points were scored when DP’s 6-10 center, Ernest Udeh Jr., was on the floor.
“They’re unbelievably good defensively,” Grisek said. “They’re so long and big. We can’t be too disappointed overall with our effort.”
Udeh was in foul trouble much of the game. He committed two fouls in the first two minutes and picked up a third midway through the third quarter. Other post defenders, such as 6-6 Jonathan Caicedo, stepped up.
“[Stewart] is a great player who’s hard to stop,” Witherspoon added. “It was more about him not getting scoring opportunities and we did that.”
Kugel finished with a game-high 15 points and 6 rebounds. Jackson Slater added 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals while Jordan Tillery had 8 points and 4 rebounds.
Jalen Debose also had 11 points for Windermere while Chalier Torres had 8 points and Jeremy Torres chipped in with 8 assists and 2 steals.
The upstart team of the week, Wekiva defeated state-ranked rival Apopka 51-48 to win the third-place game.
The Mustangs (8-8) came into the week two games under .500 but opened with a 64-60 win against Ocoee before shocking 7A No. 3 Olympia 55-40 in the quarterfinal round.
Wekiva lost 66-52 to Windermere in a Saturday semifinal.
Apopka dropped to 15-4.