Pine Crest had beaten Gainesville P.K. Yonge 69-50 to win the Florida High School Athletic Association's Class 3A state boys' basketball title -- its first -- at The Lakeland Center on Friday afternoon.
''Obviously, we had some pressure on ourselves,'' coach David Beckerman said after his Panthers (28-4) capped a dream season. ``It was our 20th straight win. It was part of an objective we set at the beginning of the year. We wanted to win districts, regionals and get to states and win it. We were fortunate enough to do that.''
The MVP award went to junior 6-5 forward Ed Waite a year after watching from the sidelines with a knee injury as the Panthers lost in the state semifinals to the Blue Wave.
''When I got out on the court and got the first layup everything came into perspective,'' said Waite, who finished the day with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. ``It is game time now. Once you get that first point or whatever, you are just ready to go. You know it is time to play. You are not nervous anymore. My team came out and played defense. Defense wins ball games and offense sells tickets.''
Panthers star 6-3 sophomore guard Brandon Knight had a game-high 22 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Waite helped the Panthers take control from the onset with a driving layup to open the game and then followed a Knight three-pointer from the right corner with a tip-in to help the Panthers open a 17-5 lead with 2:41 left in the first quarter.
It only got worse for the Blue Wave (26-6), mainly because of its inability to get star 6-4 junior Josh Snograss untracked offensively.
Snograss scored 31 points against Fort Myers Dunbar in the semifinals but was given little room to operate against guard Jeremiah Bell, the team's best on-ball defender, and Knight, who took turns guarding him. Snograss finished the game with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting and eight turnovers.
''Their big guys inside are physical,'' first-year Blue Wave coach Carlos Villalobos said. ``They pound the glass and obviously Brandodn Knight is a special player. Hats off to them. They did a great job. They deserve it tonight.
``We made our runs but they kept pushing the ball that was the difference. We got worn down a little bit. They are a great basketball team.''
Senior 6-8 center Jeff Pelage had 12 points, Brandon Reese had four points and seven assists, and eighth-grader Trey Henry added five points, including a three-pointer that beat the second-quarter buzzer to give the Panthers a commanding 32-19 lead going into halftime.
After accepting their state championship medals in a postgame ceremony, the Panthers huddled with the coaching staff at midcourt and saluted their fans by pointing their index fingers in the air to signify their No. 1 status.
Knight missed the first 14 games to recover from minor surgery. The Panthers went 10-4 without their top player and then took their play to another level after Knight worked his way back in the starting lineup.
''Very strenuous, a lot of hard work,'' Knight said. ``Not only on a personal level but also as team. Getting reacquainted with each other. Back in the mix with each other. We had a couple of close games. In the end, we played as a team to get a state championship. We continued to pull together through tough situations, tough teams and tough games. We got the win.''
• P.K. Yonge (26-6): Wade 12, Wilson 10, Gibson 6, Snograss 15, Williams 2, Carter 1, Hampton 2, Brown 2. PC (28-4): Knight 22, Waite 18, Pelage 12, Bell 3, Reese 4, Henry 5, Thompson 2, Perlman 3.
• Half: PC 32-19. Three-pointers: Knight 2, Henry 1, Wilson 2, Snograss 2. Rebounds: 13, Wade 8, Pelage 5, Bell 5. Assists: Reese 7. Steals: Reese 4.
