PHOTOS: West Orange boys basketball flies past Windermere in 71-58 win

Going into Wednesday night’s game the West Orange boys basketball team knew it had to come out firing in its rivalry matchup with Windermere.

To say they did that may be an understatement.

In front of a packed gym the Warriors (10-6) picked up an impressive 71-58 blowout win over the Wolverines (11-6) — the first win for the Warriors over their rivals since the team’s first-ever meeting early in the 2017-18 season.

The Warriors hit early and often, as they jumped out to a 20-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. 

The Wolverines would settle in a bit in the second quarter — cutting the Warriors’ lead to single digits with 2:15 left thanks in part to junior guard Kanye Jones’ 12 points and junior point guard Trey Moss’ seven points. Jones went on to finish the night with 16 points, while Moss finished with a team high 17 points.

Unfortunately for the Wolverines, the Warriors were able to keep their foot on the peddle and take a 37-24 lead into the break.

A big part of that big, early lead was due in large part to junior guard/small forward Mike McCalister’s 12 points and senior guard Garrison Smith’s 12 points. Both would prove big for the Wolverines, with McCalister going on to score a game high 24 points.

The Warriors’ domination would continue well into the second half before the Wolverines finally were able to whittle the lead down to single digits at 56-47 3:49 left in the fourth quarter. The Wolverines’ hopes of a comeback would be quickly dashed not long after, as the Warriors picked up the pace and finished strong — outscoring Windermere 15-4 over the last three-and-a-half minutes to seal up the win.

West Orange will look to add another big win to its resume, as the Warriors take on Apopka Friday, Jan. 17, while the Wolverines take on a talented Master’s Academy in the Master’s Classic Saturday, Jan. 18.