Dillard snaps Doral’s 50-game win streak

Class 7A defending state champion Doral Academy is known for its tenacious defense.

The previously unbeaten Firebirds had held their previous 18 opponents under 50 points in going 29-0.

But Friday night, perennial Broward powerhouse Dillard turned the tables on Doral Academy before a sold-out gymnasium. Dillard used its size to jump out of the gate 11-0 and went on to defeat the Firebirds 41-29 in a Class 7A regional final.

The programs have combined to win three state championships the past three seasons, with Dillard winning it all in 2016 (6A) and 2017 (7A) and Doral (7A) last season.

The Panthers (20-6) advance to the Boys State Basketball Tournament and will play the winner of the Auburndale-Hillsborough regional final in the state semifinals March 8 in Lakeland.

“It’s a big one,” said coach Darryl Burrows, who has led Dillard to seven state championships. “This team, they had us really nervous. We couldn’t allow them to shoot the 3. You see how well they shoot. We had to bring it out and just kind of limit some of the shots that they were able to get.”

Senior big man Makerere Williams led Dillard with 12 points and 9 rebounds and senior point guard Deshawn Bartley added 9 points.

“We knew we had an advantage on the boards and inside, so that’s what we tried to do,” Williams said. “It feels good. Gotta win it now.”

Dillard led 21-8 at the half. The Panthers were forced to hang on when Doral Academy outscored Dillard 9-1 in the third quarter to cut the margin to 22-17 going to the fourth period.

Down 26-20, the Firebirds had a shot to make it a one-score game with 5:20 left in the fourth. But senior guard JoJo Nunez’s 3-pointer was off the mark. Dillard was then able to stretch out the lead down the stretch.

Nunez led Doral with 12 points and sensational junior Devin Carter was held to 11 points and 11 rebounds. Carter struggled from the floor. He shot just 2 of 14 and didn’t make his first field goal until there was 10 seconds left in the third quarter.

The loss snaps Doral Academy’s 50-game winning streak. The Firebirds’ last defeat had been Dec. 20, 2017, to SLAM Academy.