- April 24, 2024
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APOPKA A back-and-forth battle between Apopka and Evans was decided in the game's final seconds by a three-point field goal by Evans sophomore Jordan Preaster.
Preaster's shot gave the Trojans the lead with 12 seconds remaining in the game, and the visiting Trojans would hold on to defeat the host Blue Darters, 65-63.
“We’ve been talking to (Preaster) a lot about shot selection and taking good open shots,” said Evans head coach Rob Gordon. “You couldn’t have gotten more wide open then that one, and he had the confidence to shoot it.”
Prester finished the game with 11 points. On the night, the Trojans were led by senior Kamani Binder, who finished with 16 points after putting up 13 points in the first half. Binder also took a pivotal charge at the 1:29 mark of the fourth quarter, when the Blue Darters were leading 63-61, spurring a momentum shift.
“(Apopka) is very, very solid basketball team," Gordon said. “(To win) really speaks volume to our kids’ character and their toughness.”
Apopka started the game with an 8-0 run but the Trojans would come back with a 7-0 run of their own. Evans’ defense and penetration on offense helped them claim an 11-point lead at halftime.
The Blue Darters would get back in the game in third quarter behind the scoring of sophomore Nathan Lewis, who had a game-high 22 points.
“To our kids’ credit, we showed a lot of resiliency,” said Apopka head coach Scott Williams. “We made a lot of plays in the second half. I thought we grew up a bunch — our young kids kind of steadied the fork, got the game back to where it was manageable, put ourselves in a position to win.”
Apopka claimed back the lead with 4:52 remaining in the game after back-to-back threes by sophomore point guard Terence McClain.
The two teams would trade baskets for the remainder of the game.
“One guy at one end makes a shot, and another guy on the other end doesn’t, and so [Evans] goes away with the W,” Williams said. “In terms of the big picture for us, I’m really proud of our effort.”
Evans is now 6-0 and 2-0 in the district. The teams in the district after tonight’s contest have a combined record of 19-4.
“There are four really good teams (in our district) — Wekiva and West Orange being the other two,” Williams said. “Every night is going to be a dog fight. … I would think that every district game that’s being played this year in our district is going to be a game like this. I think it’s going to be really competitive.”
