DP gets boost from Kansas recruit
Udeh lifts team past Apopka in Metro West semifinals
Ernest Udeh dished out three assists to go with his 12 rebounds to guide the Dr. Phillips Panthers past host Apopka 49-34 in the semifinals of the Metro West boys basketball tournament on Saturday.
Dr. Phillips (14-3, No. 2 in the FHSAA all-class rankings) will play Windermere (15-2), a 66-52 winner over upstart Wekiva, at 3:30 p.m. Monday at West Orange High. Apopka (15-3) will face Wekiva (7-8) in the third-place game at 2 p.m.
Udeh, a 6-foot-10 Kansas commitment, said he wanted to take advantage of teams challenging him in the middle.
“At this level and next, I’m a threat inside,” Udeh said. “I know I’m going to be double-teamed. Having the ability to find the open man is the key.”
Mason Sheffield and Jordan Tillery each scored team-highs of 12 points for the Panthers.
Dr. Phillips won because several players shared the spotlight. Sheffield came off the bench to score 10 second-quarter points, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that put Dr. Phillips up 24-11 at the half. Teammate Riley Kugel had four of his seven steals in the second quarter.
Udeh had seven third-quarter points as the Panthers built a 40-23 lead.
“It’s very challenging because all of us can score,” Tillery said. “We all like to share the ball, and we all have very good chemistry with our teammates.”
Apopka held the Panthers to 6 points in the first quarter, trailing 6-4.
Apopka coach Scott Williams faulted himself for not challenging the Blue Darters to keep their effort the entire game.
“They look at a scoreboard at the end of the first quarter and see it’s 6-4. They begin to worry they only have 4 instead of going, ‘It’s a 2-point game,’ “Williams said. “We got a little bit uncomfortable and rushed in the second quarter. When they extended to the 1-2-2 [full-court press], we had some careless turnovers.”
In the other semifinal, Duke signee Sean Stewart scored a game-high 27 points for Windermere in its 66-52 victory. Chris Nurse added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines, ranked No.4 in the FHSAA Class 7A poll and 10th in the all-class poll.
“We pressed the whole game, but they have really good players,” Stewart said. “They have a really good player, Jammaric [Hammond]. We just had to run him off his spot.”
Wekiva, which roughed up Olympia 55-40 on Friday, shook up Windermere early with strong rebounding. The Mustangs also have gained confidence with the return of 6-foot-5 junior Malachi Hampton. Since Hampton returned, the Mustangs are 4-3 after a 3-5 start. Without Hampton, the Mustangs lost 81-55 at home to Windermere on Dec. 1.
Hampton scored seven of his 14 points in the first quarter as the Mustangs grabbed a 15-14 lead.
Then Windermere’s full-court press erased Wekiva’s momentum in the second. That press sparked a Wolverines 15-3 run that closed their deficit to 30-29 at the half.
Stewart eventually began to take control of the game, scoring 14 secondhalf points. Chris Nurse added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Wolverines.
Hammond had 10 points and five assists for the Mustangs.
“Every team peaks. Every team plateaus,” Wekiva coach Gersino Lubin said. “I think we’re still on the uprise.”