Rivers helps Windermere end Moore’s unbeaten run
Windermere High center Dakota Rivers doesn’t look for the stat sheet after his team’s basketball games. The scoreboard tells him all he needs to know.
“I’m here to help my team in as many ways as possible,” the 6-foot-8 senior said after leading the second-year Wolverines to a 49-37 over previously unbeaten Bishop Moore on Saturday afternoon at Orlando Christian Prep’s Showdown in O-Town.
Rivers, a Florida Gulf Coast signee, scored a game-high 17 points and forced smaller Bishop Moore to give him extra attention in the post — opening up opportunities for teammates.
“If Coach tells me just to rebound and block shots, that’s fine. That’s what I’ll do,” Rivers said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who can score on this team. We believe in each other. We want to win. We want to win state.”
Rivers is surrounded by four talented guards in Windermere’s starting lineup and anchors the back line of a defense that bottled up Class 6A Bishop Moore early with aggressive man-to-man play. The 8A Wolverines were up by 17 in the second quarter and led 30-17 at halftime en route to their 11th consecutive win.
The Hornets worked their way back into the game. But Windermere’s Trey Moss, a sterling sophomore prospect, made a 3-point shot for a 41-33 lead and the Wolverines knocked down six straight free throws in the final 36 seconds.
Bishop Moore standout Hunter Cattoor was held in check much of the way but finished strong. He scored 14 points.
Both teams have statetournament aspirations and both coaches said afterward they knew their teams would benefit from the matchup.
Third-year Bishop Moore coach Jim Yarbrough took the loss in stride, saying a winning streak was never high on his priority list for an evolving program that upgraded its schedule this season. The Hornets have gone from sub-.500 in 2015-16 to competing against top area programs and Yarbrough said Saturday’s loss was a learning experience, not a step back.
“The regular season is all about getting to the playoffs and peaking there,” Yarbrough said. “That games makes us better. We got to feel a playoff atmosphere against a playoff-type team.”
Olympia coach Griseck echoed the
“They run great stuff and are so disciplined,” Griseck said of the Hornets. “This absolutely helped us to play against a different style.”
Showdown host OCP (11-2) started five underclassmen Mark sentiment.
Showdown in O-Town
At Orlando Christian Prep
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Nathan Hayes Shootout
At Mount Dora Christian
■ Legacy Charter 57, Father Lopez 49.
■ Trinity Prep 61, Orangewood Christian 60
■ Eustis 56, Windermere Prep 52
■ Gateway 48, The First Academy 45
■ Apopka 70, Oviedo, 55
■ Mount Dora Christian 67, Mount Dora 35
but showed enough maturity down the stretch to hold off Edgewater (11-4) in a 62-59 victory.
Ven-Allen Lubin, a promising 6-6 ninthgrader, scored all 12 of his team-leading points in the second half for the Warriors. A.J. Brown, another ninth-grader, added 10 points.
Edgewater pulled to within 58-57 on a 4-point play by Shakur Poteat (21 points) with 20 seconds to go. But OCP staved off the Eagles with Terrance Reese and Eric Butler each making two free throws in the closing seconds.
Edgewater, the reigning champion in Windermere’s district, played without Michael Eads Jr., its leading scorer (19 ppg) and rebounder (10 rpg). The 6-5 junior, who had to recover from a broken right foot suffered last summer, reinjured the foot in a win over West Orange on Thursday.
In the final game of the night, Class 9A Kissimmee Osceola pressured 2A Central Florida Christian Academy into early mistakes to build a big lead and cruised to a 69-52 victory.
Senior Jadukiss Soto scored 17 points to lead the Kowboys (10-5). Sophomore guard Josh Blazquez added 14 and had an assist on one of the plays of the day. Blazquez wrapped a fastbreak dribble behind his back as he sped down the middle of the court, then dished a pass to Armani Thomas for a successful 3-point shot and a 28-12 lead.
The Master’s Academy (10-5) suffered through a nearly 12-minute scoreless drought in a 68-46 loss to Melbourne (9-1). TMA was up 13-4 before the Bulldogs went on a 27-0 run.
Colonial (12-9) broke a tie on a 3-point shot by senior guard Cayln Richardson with 3:09 to go and won 53-45 vs. Bishop Moore (11-6) in a girls game that opened Saturday’s event. Richardson finished with 19 points in the victory. Apopka stifles Oviedo: Rudy Gatling scored 14 points and Apopka’s defense constricted Oviedo for two long scoreless stretches as the Blue Darters rolled to a 70-55 win in a matchup of Class 9A, Region 1 tile contenders in the Nathan Hayes Shootout at Mount Dora Christian.
Jacob Hall and John Latimer
each scored seven points in the first quarter, which Apopka (12-2) ended with a 16-2 run to build a 22-12 lead.
“I wanted us to come out of Christmas having to compete hard,” Apopka coach Scott Williams said. “We have a lot of work to do, but I thought we had a great focus and a great intensity.”
Apopka added to its lead by holding the Lions scoreless for 4:44 in the second quarter. The Blue Darters went on a 15-0 run during that stretch to go up 45-19.
Zach Anderson grabbed 17 rebounds for the Blue Darters, who owned a 43-29 edge on the boards.
Oviedo (11-5) missed 6-5 senior Braden Denny, who left Friday’s 66-65 district loss to Seminole with a potential torn Achilles’ tendon in his right foot. Kayamo Galloway suffered a right thumb injury on Saturday and did not score.
Host Mount Dora Christian forced 31 turnovers and by Mount Dora (4-10) and improved to 15-2 with a 67-35 victory at its own event. Rodney Bryant had eight steals and scored 16 first-half points for the Bulldogs, who play a district game at OCP next Thursday. Montverde bounces back: Perennial national power Montverde Academy found itself in an unfamiliar position when it lost twice to the same team, La Lumiere of Indiana, at elite events over the holiday break.
The Montverde (10-2) rebounded with two dominant homecourt wins this weekend.
On Friday, the Eagles beat up on Admiral Farragut of St. Petersburg to the tune of 83-29. A day later, Montverde crushed Miramar 79-20.
“Obviously, for us, we lost to the same team twice. That’s something that hasn’t happened here in a long time,” Eagles head coach Kevin Boyle said. “It’s kind of like Alabama [in college football], where it’s like ‘what’s wrong?’ when we lose. It’s a good problem.”
Precious Achiuwa, a highly rated 6-9 forward, led Montverde in scoring in both wins, tallying 24 points vs. Farragut and 15 vs.Miramar.