Related Content

• Pine Crest repeats as 3A hoops champ

Pine Crest repeats as 3A hoops champ

A swarming defense and a game-high 27 points from Pine Crest star guard Brandon Knight will keep the Class 3A championship trophy in the same place for at least another year.

With a 60-44 victory over Orlando Jones in the 3A title game Friday at The Lakeland Center, Pine Crest brought home its second state championship in a row.

''It is sweeter the second time around because you know what you've been through,'' Knight said. ``The tough games you had to struggle to win to get to this point. We went through a lot of tough games to get here. Once you win it one year, you have a target on your back the next year.''

Waite's three lifts Pine Crest past Heritage

Trailing by four points with less than 21 seconds to play, Pine Crest needed a miracle. It came in the form of power forward Ed Waite.

Kenny Boynton had just converted a layup with just under 30 seconds to play off an inbound pass from Ray Taylor, which gave the Patriots a four-point lead.

With Brandon Knight double-teamed, the ball came to Waite, who squared up and cut the Heritage lead to one.

Ed Waite is unsung hero on Pine Crest basketball team

On any other team, Pine Crest forward Ed Waite could be the man.

Instead of accepting a role as the second or third option at Pine Crest, Waite could have put up bigger numbers and raked in more individual awards on another team.

Waite has never gotten his due while playing in the shadows of star guard Brandon Knight, yet he has never griped about not getting more shots or the attention constantly being showered on Knight, his friend.

Knight's 41 not enough as Dillard tops Pine Crest

Pine Crest five-star guard Brandon Knight put on a performance at the Dr. Martin Luther Classic Jr. Classic on Saturday night that will be talked about for years. Unfortunately for Pine Crest, Knight’s game-high 41 points, including 18 in a riveting fourth-quarter scoring spree, wasn’t enough to stop Dillard from sweeping the season series between the reigning state champions.

Dillard guards Sherman Gammage and Courtney Ojeda thwarted a potential game-winning shot by tying up Knight with a double-team on the final play as Dillard held on for a 74-73 victory at Boyd Anderson.

Gammage said Dillard (14-3, ranked No. 1 in 5A) had no doubt Pine Crest (11-2, ranked No. 1 in 3A) would draw up a play for Knight, who showed why he is ranked No. 2 in the 2010 class by Rivals.com and ESPNU Super 60, coming out of their final timeout with 4.5 seconds left.

Brandon Knight leads Pine Crest back to 3A state final

Pine Crest let Fort Myers Bishop Verot hang around for the first quarter of a Class 3A boys' basketball semifinal Wednesday afternoon.

Sensing an upset in the making, a rowdy section made up of Bishop Verot students, some of whom were wearing Vikings helmets with horns, started to whoop it up inside the Lakeland Civic Center.

Leave it to Brandon Knight, the nation's No. 1 prospect for a junior guard, to spoil the party.