Undefeated Doral fends off Belen for 52nd consecutive win and regional final berth
About the only thing missing for Doral Academy’s Devin Carter was a cape with a big “S” on it.
Carter, just a junior who is already fielding multiple FBS offers but uncommitted, showed exactly why as his Firebirds basketball team, the defending 7A state champions that haven’t lost a game in 14 months were in trouble early when they hosted Belen Jesuit in a Region 4-7A semifinal before a packed standing-room-only noisy crowd at Doral.
But Carter never flinched as he started pouring in shot after shot including some NBA-sized threes as Doral came back to defeat the Wolverines 49-41. Carter finished with 30 of those 49 points.
“When it comes to big moments and big games, I’m never afraid,” said Carter, son of former Miami Heat player Anthony Carter. “If big plays and big baskets are needed and it’s up to me, I just find a way to get it done and tonight it worked out.”
With the win, Doral kept its perfect season going at 31-0 and has now won 52 straight games dating all the way back to a 56-37 loss to SLAM Academy on Dec. 20, 2017. The Firebirds will put that perfect record on the line again Friday when they host Dillard at 7 p.m. in a Region 4-7A final as they look to punch their second straight ticket to the final four in Lakeland next week.
“Devin’s big-time and is never afraid to step up and you saw that tonight,” said Doral head coach Jorge Fernandez. “Belen is a great team. We may have beaten them four times but it’s been a battle every time we had to grind tonight in a big way.”
Fernandez could only watch helplessly as his players, even Carter, struggled mightily in the first quarter. Having already beaten Belen three times, all three close games including a 38-36 win in a district final two weeks ago, the Firebirds couldn’t hit the ocean off the end of a pier in the first quarter, missing all 12 shots from the floor and trailed 11-1 after the first frame.
But then Carter came alive in the second quarter to lead his team back, forging a 20-20 halftime tie.
Carter scored the final 13 points of the first half for his team and then seven of the first 10 in the third quarter as the Firebirds went up 30-23 midway through the third.
“We never worry about if things don’t go well early,” said Carter. “We have the mentality every game, every night that we just keep fighting. We were confident we could get things going which we did.”
“Obviously the first quarter was a struggle but in games like this, you can’t panic and the kids did a nice job of not doing that,” said Fernandez. “I told them after the first quarter, to just play with composure, stick to what works and take it one possession at a time. Obviously Devin stepping up for us was huge but great defense on the other end all night was just as important.”
The biggest thorn for Doral was Belen guard Daniel Sueiro who lit things up for the Wolverines with four three pointers in the second including back-to-back trays as Belen, after falling behind by seven, went on a 13-3 run to go back up 36-33 with four minutes left.
The big moment came with 55 seconds left when, with his team down 41-39, Sueiro launched another three-ball that wouldve put his team in the lead. It hit softly and hung on the edge of the rim before falling off to the side.
Doral got the rebound and Belen was forced to start fouling as the Firebirds, led by Carter who was a perfect 13-for-13 from the line, made all their free throws.
Belen, which was looking to advance to a regional final for the first time since all the way back in 1978, finished 21-8.
Said Fernandez: “For us to be undefeated is unbelievable and it’s a testament to these kids. We coach them hard, we get on them hard, they take it and they just go out there and compete. Hopefully we can keep this going.”
More basketball results
▪ Region 3-9A semis: Cypress Bay 64, Western 50.
▪ Region 4-9A semis: North Miami 69, Pembroke Pines Charter 62; South Miami 71, Killian 68 —
▪ Region 4-8A semis: Blanche Ely 75, Forest Hill 65; Mater Academy 44, McArthur 42
▪ Region 4-7A semis: Dillard 55, Boyd Anderson 51
▪ Region 4-6A semis: Stranahan 62, Suncoast 45
▪ Region 4-5A semis: University School 68, Chamiande-Madonna 56 — University School used a 15-8 third quarter to break open a game that was tied at halftime and held on in the fourth quarter to advance to the regional finals and keep its title defense hopes alive. Senior and Duke commit Vernon Carey scored 25 points and added 12 rebounds in the win, which improved University School to 24-4 on the year.
Westminster Christian 43, Booker T. Washington 40 — Senior Marcus Montavlo scored 11 points, leading a balanced scoring attack to send Westminster Christian to the Region 4A finals. It’s Westminster Christian’s first regional final appearance since 2016, when the Lions advanced to the state semifinals.
▪ Region 4-4A finals: Westminster Academy 77, Sagemont 44; Riviera Prep 78, SLAM 77
▪ Region 4-3A finals: Jupiter Christian 55, Champagnat 54
▪ Region 4-2A finals: Schoolhouse Prep 69, Miami Christian 59 — Miami Christian’s hopes for a third consecutive state title and fourth in five years came to an end on Tuesday. After splitting the regular-season series - Miami Christian winning 50-49 on Jan. 29 and Schoolhouse Prep winning 86-84 on Feb. 15 - the Wolfpack (21-10) came out on top on Tuesday to advance to its first-ever state semifinal.