- January 9, 2025
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OCOEE A late bucket by Je'Quan Burton propelled the Dr. Phillips boys basketball team to an exciting 57-56 victory over CFCA in the quarterfinals of Ocoee High's Great 8 Tournament Dec. 28, ending a game of decided momentum shifts.
After CFCA took an early 11-8 lead, the Panthers (8-4) went on a 21-3 run that spanned the end of the first and beginning of the second quarter. The Eagles (6-5) would battle back in the third quarter, though, setting up a dramatic fourth quarter of back-and-forth action.
"I felt at halftime we got comfortable with the lead and we let up on our intensity," Dr. Phillips head coach Anthony Long said. "Fortunately we were able to gather ourselves at the end, a little bit, and Je'Quan Burton made a play to win the game. We're happy for the win — CFCA is a quality opponent."
Panthers standouts Daniel Love and Nick Smith each finished with 18 points, with eight of Love's 18 coming in the game's final three minutes.
The game was the first for both teams after out-of-state trips last week — CFCA played in a tournament in Idaho, while Dr. Phillips traveled to Hawaii.
For the Panthers, having their three football players back for five games now and having taken the trip together means the team is starting to bond after playing its first seven games with just seven players dressing.
"We're still a work in progress," Long said. "(The Hawaii trip) was great in terms of team-bonding and great in terms of us playing some high-level competition. ... We've seen teams that are really, really good."
Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].
