Riviera Prep’s young, battle-tested basketball team looking to continue state title run
Riviera Prep’s boys’ basketball team looks young on the surface if you just look at what grades most of their players are in.
A closer look reveals a veteran, battle-tested squad with the experience of a champion.
It’s why the core of the Bulldogs’ roster won a state championship last season, finished state runner-up the prior season and is on course to make another strong attempt at winning another this season.
On Monday night in a matchup of reigning state champions, Riviera Prep used that experience to its advantage to come back from a substantial first-half deficit to beat Mater Lakes 63-49 at their home gym.
The Bulldogs (16-5), the defending Class 3A state champions, rallied after trailing by 12 in the second quarter and picked up another quality victory over the Bears (14-7), the defending Class 4A state champions, as they gear up for what they hope will be their third consecutive trip to the state final four in Lakeland next month.
“We have a lot of guys that have 500 games under their belt between high school and travel ball,” Riviera Prep coach Anthony Shahbaz said. “It’s a young group and even though we have no seniors we have guys that have played in big games and in front of big crowds and they’re always up for the big moments.”
The centerpiece of Riviera Prep’s talented team continues to be junior guard Dante Allen, a 6-3, 190-pound shooting guard rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports and the son of Miami Heat assistant coach Malik Allen.
Allen led the Bulldogs with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists as Riviera withstood an early 20-4 run by Mater Lakes that was geared by forward Christian Reid’s physical play inside, Anthony Knowles’ ability to create turnovers that led to transition buckets and the sharp shooting of guard Khanye Moss.
Riviera Prep turned up its defensive intensity and shifted the momentum with a 16-0 run in the second half during which it kept Mater Lakes from scoring for over five minutes.
Junior 7-foot forward Gustavo Guimaraes Alves battled Reid inside and finished with 13 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks while the sibling tandem of Myles and Mason Fuentes keyed the comeback in the backcourt. Freshman Myles Fuentes had 13 points, four rebounds and two assists while Mason Fuentes had 10 points, three rebounds and five assists.
“We knew they’d come in here and give us their best shot. The guys were resilient. We made shots and sped up the game a little bit,” Shahbaz said. “We got some good looks in the first half that we missed but then we completed those in the second half. The guys had a look in their eyes that they weren’t going to lose this game.”
Allen, who has Michigan, Villanova among the Division-I schools that have made him offers, continues to develop at both ends of the floor and is one of the more versatile players in the state.
“His leadership and off the dribble stuff,” Shahbaz said when asked in which aspect Allen has improved the most this season. “He’s shooting more off the dribble and he’s been more confident. He’s understanding when to take over and take the big shots when the team needs it. If he comes down three or four plays in a row and it’s stagnant, he knows when his team needs the big shot and he’ll go and make the right play.
“He just continues to get better. He really doesn’t get the respect he deserves nationally, but if you ask any college coach they’re all after him. As long as he keeps playing the right way, we’re happy with where he’s at.”
But Allen is hardly the only scoring option with the inside-outside combination of the Fuentes brothers and Guimaraes Alves energizing things at both ends of the floor.
Riviera Prep will need that depth as it tries to navigate a tough road back to state which could include another matchup against Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy. The Bulldogs have eliminated the Lions from the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Riviera Prep hopes to toughen up for that challenge this weekend when it competes against some of the nation’s best in the Montverde Academy Classic.
“I think you saw in the second half what they could do,” Shahbaz said. “They put their stamp on the game - both of them. Once we got up and down the court and put in a little showtime for the fans, we weren’t losing this one.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 12:19 PM.
