Dwyer High falls to Orlando-Dr. Phillips in Class 7A state boys basketball final

LAKELAND — The fourth time was the charm for Orlando Dr. Phillips. For Dwyer, it wasn’t.

Making its fourth appearance in the FHSAA boys basketball state championship game, Dr. Phillips won its first state title with a 54-46 win over Dwyer in the Class 7A final Saturday night at the RP Funding center.

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Dr. Phillips had lost championship games in 2007, 2010 and 2011.

“That’s why I came. To win the first state championship at Dr. Phillips was the reason I came,” said Dr. Phillips coach Ben Witherspoon. “I knew it could be done. We just had to take that last step.”

Dwyer was also making its fourth championship game appearance and was looking for its fourth state championship. The Panthers won state titles in their three previous appearances — 2004, 2005 and 2011.

Dwyer, which finished the season 14-4, played without point guard Xavier Scott Jr., who injured his ankle late Friday in the 58-54 semifinal win over Davie-Western. That was a big factor, Dwyer coach Fred Ross said.

“It was a big adjustment when we lost our leader, Xavier,” Ross said. “He’s the guy that settles us down. He’s the coach on the floor. Without him, we had guys playing out of position.

“But our guys played hard, I’m proud of them.” 

In its Friday night win, Dwyer rallied from behind in the fourth quarter. Saturday night, the Panthers looked like they might do it again, trimming a 10-point Dr. Phillips lead in the third quarter to one point, 41-40, early in the fourth.

Dwyer could never get the lead, though, as Dr. Phillips went on a 9-2 run to build its lead back to seven, 49-42, heading into the final two minutes.

“We were one or two plays away from taking the lead. We had good shots, but with the change in the rotation (because of Scott’s absence), we had guys playing different positions,” Ross said.

Dr. Phillips, the No. 2 team in 7A in the latest FHSAA rankings, was led by 6-foot-4 guard Denzel Aberdeen with 27 points and 6-5 forward Riley Kugel with 13, helping Dr. Phillips, also nicknamed the Panthers, outscore Dwyer 28-16 in the paint.

“Our whole focus today was to win that possession; don’t look around, don’t focus on the score,” Witherspoon said. “We stayed in that mindset, and I trust our kids.”

When Dr. Phillips did need a basket, it was usually Aberdeen who delivered.

“Denzel’s our guy. He’s one of the best point guards in the state,” Witherspoon said. “The kid wants the ball in the big moment. He’s a heck of a player.”

Dr. Phillips (24-3) used a 9-0 run to put its lead at 10 points, 21-11, midway through the second quarter. Dr. Phillips kept that 10-point lead at halftime, 28-18, limiting Dwyer to 3-of-13 shooting in the second quarter.

Dr. Phillips kept that lead until late in the third quarter when Dwyer trimmed it to four, 39-35, and eventually to one, 41-40, early in the fourth.

This time, Dwyer couldn’t pull off the comeback. Kyle McNeal led the Palm Beach County Panthers with 14 and Rodrick Johnson Jr. had 12.