Dwyer Boys Basketball Team Wins State!
March 13, 2011
t was another typical fast start, but this time with a prize at the end — a Class 5A state championship trophy, tears, hugs and smiles.
The Panthers weathered several Lake Wales rallies, defeating the Highlanders 72-57 Saturday at The Lakeland Center. It is Dwyer’s third state title, but first since back-to-back titles in 2004-05.
“After we watched them last night, we just felt like if we played our game we were the better team,” Dwyer coach Fred Ross said. “We wanted to get off to a fast start and try to take the home crowd out of it, and take away any momentum.”he defining moment that secured the outcome for Dwyer (32-1), ranked No. 18 in the country by ESPN Rise, came from Jacoby Brissett. The senior guard scored eight consecutive points to help build a 61-42 lead between the third and fourth quarters.
“When that happened, I was checking back into the game and one of our coaches just said, ‘Play like Jacoby Brissett plays,'” said Brissett, who also won also football championship as a junior. “I felt like whenever I got the ball and I knew what I was going to do, I felt like no one was going to stop me.”
Lake Wales (29-3) had closed to within nine points with 2:39 left in the third quarter. The Highlanders never got closer.
Brissett finished with a game-high 19 points, 14 coming in the second half and 10 in the final quarter. He also had 12 rebounds and five assists. Victor Adams added 18 points.
“I came to Dwyer to play basketball,” Brissett said. “I remember my freshman year, losing. Sitting outside our school with Coach Ross and him telling me I was gonna get two rings. Seeing that come true is big. This just takes my breath away.”
For three quarters Lake Wales paralleled Dwyer’s scoring. Kevin Capers, Oshey Washington and Marcel White combined for 39 points, the majority coming in the final three quarters.
Trailing early in the third quarter 45-29, Lake Wales slowly chipped away at the Dwyer lead. A 13-6 run was capped by a 3-pointer from Shaquille Stoudemire with 1:51 left in the third quarter.
“What we wanted to do was get the lead down to 10 or single-digits going into the fourth quarter,” Lake Wales coach Billy Dee Washington said. “We could never get it past that.”
Dwyer jumped out to an impressive 29-13 first-quarter lead and it looked like this game was in the bag for the Panthers. Junior center Joel James scored eight of his 10 points in the quarter, while Adams added 10 points
“Never did we shows signs of quitting,” Washington said. “… The ball didn’t bounce our way and we didn’t shoot well.”
Lake Wales was held to 31-percent shooting from the floor.
The 51-36 rebounding edge was pivotal for Dwyer, resulting in many second-chance baskets and a state championship.
“It’s what we came here for, what we’ve worked for since last year when we lost up here,” Ross aid. “Thank God we got it.”
