Pines Charter boys’ hoops clutch play down the stretch propelled it to second state crown
Pembroke Pines Charter boys basketball coach Dave Roca needed a few seconds to collect his thoughts during his team’s post game press conference Saturday.
It wasn’t so much that Roca was trying to contain his emotions.
He was.
It was more that he was taking it all in after what was a thrilling postseason ride over the past few weeks for the Jaguars, which culminated in the best way possible.
Pines Charter once again found a way to come through in the most pivotal moments on Saturday as it outlasted Orlando Edgewater for a 59-55 victory in the Class 6A state championship game at the RP Funding Center.
The Jaguars (25-4) secured their second state championship in the past four years.
“I’m still taking everything in right now,” Roca said as he began to go over key moments in the game in an interview with reporters.
Later in the session, Roca paused and said: “I’m trying to keep it together because this is amazing.”
Throughout the postseason, the Jaguars had different key players step up and make winning plays or deliver memorable performances that kept them on course to Lakeland.
Seniors Josh Harris and Jeremy Elyzee posted double doubles to beat South Plantation in the regional semifinals.
Elyzee scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to rally Pines Charter to a win against St. Thomas Aquinas in the regional final.
Senior Ramez Zayed hit a game-winning free throw to beat South Plantation in the district championship game.
With Pines Charter seeing what was at one point a 12-point lead slipping away early in the fourth quarter, Zayed came through with another pivotal moment.
Zayed stole the ball on three consecutive possessions which all led to points.
“We needed some momentum to push us through and Ramez really pushed through,” Roca said. “Defensively he pushed the ball and got Josh on that break, and that gave us some momentum. After that, it was just managing the clock.
“He’s been doing that all year long. Our coaches were yelling like maniacs, and telling him to stop falling back on his heels, stay on your toes and make him turn, and when he did, that’s when he got those steals.”
Zayed finished two of those plays personally with fast break layups to push the lead back to seven with 5:47 left. In addition to those three steals, Zayed finished with six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
“In the film that I watched, I knew they were gonna get it to their big and he wasn’t paying attention to the weakside help so I knew the ball was going to be there once they threw it,” Zayed said.
Eyzee led the Jaguars with 22 points, three assists and three blocks while Harris totaled 13 points and 10 rebounds. Solomon Hughes added 12 points and finished a perfect 3 for 3 from the field including 2 for 2 from 3-point range, and 4 for 4 from the free throw line.
The Jaguars held the explosive duo of Donovan Williams Jr. and Myles Mayfield to 11 of 29 shooting from the field and a combined 27 points.
Down the stretch, Pines Charter did not fold even when Edgewater made one final push.
Harris fouled Williams Jr. on a three-point attempt with 5.4 seconds left. Williams made the first two free throws to cut Pines Charter’s lead to 58-55 and then purposely missed the third to try and get the rebound. But Zemari Days surged into the paint and grabbed the ball, drawing a foul with 2.5 seconds left. Days made one of two free throws to seal the outcome.
“We were up 12 at halftime and we felt comfortable,” Roca said. “Our job at that point for the first three minutes of the third-quarter was clock management. They hurt us with the offensive putbacks and offensive rebounds kept them in the game.”
Pines Charter felt the joy of being able to secure what had been an elusive goal since winning its first championship in 2021. The Jaguars came within one victory of advancing to state last season before falling against Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer.
“All the coaches told us we’ve got this next year,” Elyzee said. “We’ll have all the right pieces then just trust in the process and now we’re here. It’s a great feeling.”
This story was originally published March 9, 2024 at 8:23 PM.
