Winter Park Wildcats crowned state basketball champions

Winter Park High School (33-3) shook the Lakeland Center Saturday night in a last-minute comeback win, capturing their third state basketball championship in school history thanks to a little bit of luck.

Goodluck, that is.

The Wildcats topped Maynard Evans High School 66-64 in overtime after Austin Goodluck made a tip-in with less than 10 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 56.

Saturday’s FHSAA Class 8A state finals win marked Winter Park’s third straight victory in extra minutes, outlasting John I. Leonard and St. Petersburg earlier that week.

“This win and this team – I’m humbled right now to be a part of that,” Coach Donald Blackmon said. “About a month to two months ago, this became more than a game of basketball. It became a group of men who came together to form a bond that was unbreakable.”

“After three overtime wins in a row, I think we can all agree that this bond that they’ve created took a life of its own.”

The Trojans were building on a six-point lead over the Wildcats at the start of the fourth quarter, following a first half controlled by Winter Park. The Wildcats held a 13-point lead late in the second quarter before allowing the Trojans to score 26 points in the third.

But Winter Park fought back, eventually closing the gap with Goodluck’s heroic late basket and riding their momentum to an overtime win.

The state tournament’s most valuable player award went to Winter Park Wildcat Elijah Farley, who led his team with 25 points in the final matchup.

Winter Park senior Spencer Rivers knew his last name came with some added pressure. His older brother Austin created his own legacy after leading Winter Park High School to two consecutive state championships in 2010 and 2011. The former Wildcat went on to play for Duke University before getting drafted to the NBA after just one season.

But Spencer didn’t let the spotlight throw off his game, putting up seven points and nabbing two rebounds.

His older brother and their father Doc weren’t in the stands on Saturday; they were both on a court 2,500 miles away. Austin and the New Orleans Pelicans were in Los Angeles paying a visit to Doc’s Clippers that same night.

“There’s always pressure, but I knew that as long as we win, I’d be fine,” Spencer said. “When we won there was a weight off my shoulders.”

“It feels amazing, there’s not a word that describes it. Our team fought so hard and no one expected us to even get here. When we did, we won it.”