Ocoee Middle girls hoops finishes as county runner-up

The girls basketball team at Ocoee Middle School completed its 2017 campaign by finishing as runners-up in the Orange County Public Schools County Championship last week.

The Lady Cardinals’ loss to Avalon in the championship game March 15 at Oak Ridge High was the team’s first and only loss of the season.

“I think their length bothered us,” head coach Marcus Spencer said. “We made a run, but then they hit a big shot, and all of a sudden, it got out of hand a little bit. They kept playing hard throughout the whole game.”

Ocoee had a perfect 5-0 record during the regular season and went 3-1 in the playoffs. Spencer, also the school’s athletic director, said the bond the girls established throughout the season also played a role in the team’s success.

“The chemistry and the love for one another … I think that got us over the hump,” Spencer said.

Among the highlights of the team’s eight wins this season was a victory over Robinswood Middle School — one of Ocoee’s top rivals.

“They’ve been our nemesis,” Spencer said. “We got the victory and danced and had a great time.”

Seven of the team’s 14 players are eighth-graders who will move on to high school. The plus side for Spencer and assistant coach Arin Crowell, though, is that three of the six returning seventh-graders were starters.

“I had three starters who were in the seventh grade,” Spencer said. “The biggest gap is on the blocks — we should be OK next year.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].