Riviera Prep clamps down on defense to reach first boys’ basketball state title game
There was not a lot for Riviera Prep to complain about after its 67-40 rout of Melbourne Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in the Class 3A semifinals, except there is one goal Riviera sets for every single game: The Bulldogs want to hold their opponent to fewer than 40 points.
With a meaningless final shot and game-ending 7-1 run Wednesday, Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy hit 40 on the dot at the RP Funding Center.
“They had those last seven points that are irking me right now,” coach Anthony Shahbaz said with an exaggerated grimace and playful tone. “We’ll talk about that.”
It’s only because he knows how close Riviera Prep (24-7) is to making history and how good a performance it’ll take Friday when his Bulldogs play in their first-ever boys’ basketball state title game against Tallahassee Florida State University on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Riviera, which allows only 48.6 points per game, has ridden its defense this far, and played a nearly perfect game to blow out Holy Trinity Episcopal (19-11) and reach the 3A championship in Lakeland.
The Bulldogs held Holy Trinity to 5-of-25 shooting in the first half and took a commanding 30-14 lead into halftime. They trailed only once at 3-2 and retook the lead 23 seconds later. After starting 0 of 5, Riviera got on track in the middle of the first quarter and blew away the Tigers by the middle of the second. The Bulldogs led by 10-plus points for the final two and a half quarters, and led by as much as 33 in the final two minutes before Holy Trinity closed on its garbage-time 7-1 run against Riviera’s reserves.
“We came out and did what we did most of the year,” Shahbaz said, “which is let our defense lead us.”
The Tigers finished 15 of 49 from the field with 17 turnovers. The Bulldogs blocked seven shots, had 14 steals and outscored Holy Trinity, 24-1, off of turnovers.
They scored 16 of those points off turnovers in the first half to build their commanding lead despite going just 11 of 34 from the field and 1 of 11 from three-point range.
“Our defense sets the tone,” Esteban Lluberes said.
The guard led Riviera with 20 points and three steals, and eight of his points came off turnovers. Freshman wing Dante Allen added 13 for the Bulldogs.
Those two help give Riviera a well-rounded roster with title expectations. Now a senior, Lluberes helped the Bulldogs reach their first final four back in 2019 when he was a freshman, but his return trip had to wait until this year after Riviera didn’t play at all last season because of COVID-19.
The Bulldogs felt like it was a missed opportunity: Shahbaz said they felt like they were the favorite last year. With five seniors this year, they came into this season with championship aspirations again and now they’re getting a chance to deliver on them.
“I told the kids, ‘Yeah, I’m happy we got here, but I’m not satisfied with just getting here.’ We want to finish the job,” Shahbaz said. “I have five wonderful seniors, guys who put in countless hours with us, and I want this for them more than anything.”
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 4:39 PM.
