South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Another trophy
Sagemont outlasts Orlando Christian for second straight title
Sagemont captured its second consecutive Class 2A state championship with a dramatic, comefrom-behind 50-47 victory over rival Orlando Christian Prep on Thursday night at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
It marked the third straight year that the teams have squared off for the state championship. Orlando Christian Prep (25-5) won the first meeting, 66-49 in 2021, however, the Lions (26-5) held on for a 67-66 victory last year.
“We knew they wanted to get back at us,” said Sagemont coach David Roe. “So, for us, the strategy was toughness. Points were not going to win this game. It was could we keep them out of the paint and protect the rim, and that was our focus.”
Sagemont’s Kevin Thomas’ gamehigh 19 points included going 5 for
9 from beyond the 3-point arc. The Lions hit 5 of 11 3-point shots in the first quarter and the game was tied 15-15 at the end of the period. Sagemont was content to shoot from far out as they connected on
11 of 28 attempts for the game while converting just 4 of 12 two-pointers.
“It helped we shot the ball really well,” Roe added. “It’s a large part of our offense and something we practice daily. So, what seems like a lot on paper was not an accident. They are a great defensive team that makes it hard to penetrate. If you want to beat them, you must be prepared to knock down shots.”
Orlando Prep did most of its work inside, hitting 18 of 39 shots and just 2 of 8 from beyond the arc. They closed out the first half on an 11-0 run to take a 28-20 halftime lead.
Senior Devontae Jean buried a 3-pointer to fuel an 8-0 run for the Lions to tie the game at 28-28 with 3:59 left in the third. Sagemont outscored Orlando Prep, 30-19 in the second half for its 12th straight victory.
There were some late-game heroics as Jean deflected the inbound pass in the direction of senior Jordyn Kee who was fouled and made both free throws to extend the Sagemont lead to 48-45 with 26.8 seconds left. The Warriors cut the lead to 48-47 on a basket by Isaiah Brown with 14.1 seconds left. Brown led the Warriors with 15 points.
“It was my time to step up,” Jean said. “It was a big moment, but everybody played their part. Their defense was packed in, and we could get off a lot of 3s. We have confidence in our shooting.”
Key, who finished with 16 points, connected with Brown for a dunk with 5.9 seconds to go. Orlando’s Ameer Ramadan misfired on a
3-pointer as time expired. Patrick Liburd also had 10 points for the Lions.
“We came a long way from everything we have been through this season,” said Key, who transferred from South Carolina before the season. “I believe in my team’s ability and every practice we work hard on shooting threes. This was huge for us and the school.”
It was the fourth state title in school history for Sagemont. They also won in 2011 (2A) and 2014 (3A).
“I’m really proud that our seniors got what they deserved,” Roe concluded. They’ve worked hard all year. It’s even sweeter for the ones who were able to go back-to-back and leave their mark.”