Dr. Phillips girls basketball wins Metro West Conference title

The three-time defending Class 7A girls basketball state champions, the Dr. Phillips Panthers, top Ocoee High for the Metro West Conference title, 53-25.

By Sam Albuquerque
| 7:45 p.m. December 8, 2024

Dr. Phillips junior Jazmine Monroe (No. 5) sent up a floater during the Panthers' to the 2024-25 Metro West Conference championship.

Sports
High Schools

The Dr. Phillips High girls basketball team, fresh off of winning its third of three consecutive state championships last season, continues its winning ways by topping Ocoee High, 53-25, for the Metro West Conference crown Dec. 6.

Despite losing a pair of top players to graduation, DP coach Anthony Jones has reloaded for the 2024-24 season and his Panthers (4-3) — led by senior Anilys Rolon, a College of Charleston signee and junior Kendall Perry — sent a clear message by beating the previously undefeated Lady Knights at Metros: We're back.

After leading at halftime, 23-22, Dr. Phillips expanded its advantage to six by the end of the third quarter, 34-28. In the fourth quarter, however, the Panthers leaned on their championship experience and took control of the game, outscoring Ocoee 19-7 and winning by an 18-point margin.

Perry — who averaged 10.2 points per game last season and is the Panthers' top returning scorer — scored 27 points for DP in the win, while Ocoee's star junior guard, Dakara Merthie, did all she could to help will her team to victory, matching Perry with 27 points as well.

However, Merthie's effort wasn't enough on the night, especially as the Panthers lived on the free-throw line in the title game, shooting 26 times from the charity stripe.

author

Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.