Winter Park Wildcats drop four in final week

After blasting Ocoee two weeks ago, the Winter Park boys basketball team has hit a big skid, losing a string of games heading into the last week of the season.

The Wildcats (5-18, 0-5) entered the week on a four-game slide including narrowly falling to their last district opponents, University and East River, then to Lake Brantley and Apopka.

The 44-31 loss to Lake Brantley may be the most confusing, as the Wildcats held the Patriots to the lowest score they’ve had all season, while simultaneously having their own lowest scoring game of the season in the process. Their previous meeting had been a comparative slugfest, with the Patriots raining in 61 points to the Cats’ 43.

The Wildcats started their last week of regular season play on the road at Olympia during press time Tuesday, but will head home for an end-of-season finale at 7:30 p.m. on Friday against Dr. Phillips.

The Panthers have the exact opposite of the Cats’ record, going 18-5 in regular season play and coming off a pair of big wins in the past week, including a 63-55 victory over Edgewater.

Edgewater

After flying high for most of the season, the Eagles (14-9, 7-1) have come crashing down against non-district opponents, falling in four straight games heading into the final week of the regular season.

They dropped their only district loss of the season Jan. 24 against Mainland, falling 72-61. Otherwise they’ve dominated in their backyard heading into the postseason.

They’ll take on Boone in their final game of the regular season, hitting the road for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on Thursday.

Coming up next week, district tournaments start, with the top two teams heading into regional play.