Olympia tops Oak Ridge in district final
Round 1 between two of the state’s top boys basketball teams — Olympia (No. 2 in Class 7A) and Oak Ridge (No. 5) — went to the Titans last month in the MLK Dream is Real Classic hosted by Oak Ridge.
Round 2 between the powers was Friday night in the Class 7A District 5 final. Second verse, same as the first, as Olympia (25-2) held off the Pioneers to win 71-66 in a game played at Windermere High School.
E.J. “Jizzle” James led Olympia with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
The first matchup was higher scoring with James pouring in a career-high 45 points as the Titans won 92-84.
Both games were close until the end, with Olympia (25-2) having just enough in the tank to hold on.
“They gave us a lot to think about,” Titans coach Rob Gordon said. “Our kids made some great adjustments. We had to do things we aren’t used to doing.”
That was especially true in the second half. After Olympia built a 35-24 lead at half on the strength of an 18-3 run from the first quarter into the second, the Pioneers (16-9) turned up the defense by forcing turnovers and dominating the boards. Oak Ridge had a 40-24 rebound advantage.
The Pioneers cut their deficit to 48-46 and 57-55 but couldn’t take the lead.
“We made some adjustments at halftime, but we just didn’t execute,” said Oak Ridge coach Steven Reece. “If both of us take care of business, hopefully we’ll see them in a couple weeks.”
Four district winners per region will be joined by four at-large teams selected via Florida High School Athletic Association power rankings that will be updated over the weekend. Brackets are scheduled to be announced Sunday at 2 p.m. on the FHSAA YouTube channel.
“They threw everything at us, including the kitchen sink, and we dodged enough kitchen sinks to win,” Gordon joked. “We cracked, but we didn’t break.”
James was defended closely. “If teams try to take him out defensively, this year we have the weapons who can perform,” Gordon said.
That included Kevins Charles and Cam Miles, who each notched 13 points. Kaiden White and Jackson Outlaw each added 10. Outlaw also had 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Tyler Johnson led Oak Ridge with 19 points and 16 rebounds while Jordan Tillery had 18 points. Elijah Elliott added 12 and Jalen Reece scored 11.