- January 14, 2026
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Time and time again in the revolving world of athletics we hear about Cinderella stories, the moment when a team — despite having low expectations — rises above those preconceived notions and breaks through.
Through March Madness’s recent years, we’ve seen Saint Peters become the first No. 15 seed to advance to the Elite Eight by defeating No. 2 Kentucky in the first round in 2022. In 2023, Florida Atlantic made it to the dance for the first time in 20 years and ran its way to the Final Four.
In West Orange, the underdog story last season was the Ocoee High girls basketball team.
The team recorded its most wins in a single season, first regional championship and, to cap it off, its first Final Four appearance. But the historic season fell to a close against the future state champions, Winter Haven, 65-41.
Now, buoyed by the success they tasted last year, the Knights are ready to make history once again. But this time, the team knows the consistency it will take. They are prepared, and they’re hungry.
“We’re still the hunters,” head coach Marcus Spencer said. “We’re not the hunted, because we haven’t won anything yet.”
Success at any level can be a tricky road. Records improve, rankings climb higher, and satisfaction can begin to creep in. It’s a pathway Spencer won’t allow to happen.
“I keep them hungry every day,” he said. “Your record can tell you you’ve made it, but I don’t want them thinking that.”
Ocoee’s record reflects they are well on their way. The Lady Knights have clinched three straight district championship titles, currently have a 12-4 record and are ranked No. 16 in Florida and No. 12 in Class 7A.
Spencer and his staff acknowledge the rankings, but they consider them subjective and not something on which they dwell. Instead, their message to the team is the chase of a title they’ve never had.
“Ring-chasing,” he said. “That’s our motto… Some schools know what it feels like. We don’t. That’s why we want it.”
Last year’s team didn’t embark on its season with the same amount of hype. The expectations were low for the thinned-out roster of nine players, and few saw the program making a deep postseason run. Spencer said if anyone saw them at the beginning they would say, “There’s no way they’re making it to Lakeland.”
But inside the locker room, something was forming. The team embraced a single identity and became unified as one team with one goal and one culture. They understood the importance of not chasing blowouts but rather another win in any way possible.
“We only have to win by one,” Spencer said. “Sometimes, it’s not your night. Sometimes, you aren’t clicking, but you have to grind it out.”
All of Ocoee’s players have bought into the message. Senior center Senaia Asanya said it’s consistency and trust every player has in one another that allows them to know they will do the same each game.
At the center of Ocoee’s push is senior star Dakara Merthie. In the first week of January, she was 49 points away from reaching 2,000 career points, a monumental milestone to achieve in four varsity seasons.
“I’ve seen great players,” Spencer said. “I’ve never seen someone score 2,000 in four years.”
Last season alone, Merthie scored 694 points. She reached the 1,000-point mark a year ago, and she’s on her way to not only reach 2,000 points but far surpass it with seven games left in the regular season.
Spencer said her talent is a gift many don’t have, and it’s what has led her to sign with the College of Charleston. Merthie said her secret isn’t anything fancy: It’s sticking to the fundamentals she already understands and growing her consistency.
What separates Merthie further than being an offensive weapon is her understanding of the moment and what it takes.
“She understands what’s at stake,” Spencer said. “She doesn’t want to get denied.”
He’s seen Merthie step up into a leadership role earlier this season, when the team was struggling during a game. She called out mistakes and demanded focus. She’s also tasted what it felt like to make it to the Final Four and wants all of the newcomers to understand what it feels like.
“Focus and practice,” she said. “It all starts at practice and then reflects at game time so we practice how we play.”
The Lady Knights unanimously agreed Merthie is their team leader. What they appreciate about her leadership style is how she helps them feel confident in one another. And although she is the team’s leading scorer, she also wants everyone else to get involved just as much.
Change is the only aspect of life that is truly consistent. Ocoee is at the forefront of that realization, with only having three players from last year’s squad on the roster this season. With nine new players coming together for the first time, there’s bound to be an added learning curve. Spencer said the team is working on determining all of their strengths and weaknesses, but the chemistry almost is fully built.
The Knights are fusing together at the perfect time, and when February’s playoff games roll around, they have confidence they will be ready to charge.
“From somebody on the outside watching last year’s team, it was the culture, the fun and the staff that inspired me,” senior guard Aniya Hester said. “Then also seeing (how) not many people predicted them to go to the states and then to see them accomplish that…and as family together, (it impacted) other people.”
The Lady Knights’ impact last season expanded far beyond aspiring players who hoped to reach the same outcome — the season altered how the program was seen.
“They became the topic of Ocoee,” Spencer said.
Pep rallies followed the players; their team bus returned to campus with fans waiting. The recognition felt surreal to players who never have imagined that level of recognition.
Spencer posted a 3-17 record his first season as head coach. The program was rebuilding and progress slowly came through player development and consistency. Three consecutive district titles — with a potential fourth this year — followed. Now in his sixth year, Spencer sees the results of the team’s growth everywhere and celebrated being named the West Metro Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
“Who knows?” he said. “I may win it again, but if we don’t do what we are supposed to with the talent we have, I’ll be disappointed deep down, because I know what these girls can accomplish. They just have to go home and visualize and believe this. They have to speak it into existence.”
For his young players, Spencer emphasizes the ultimate goal is not a one-night celebration. If they meet their goal, the Knights will be able to say they were the first team to ever win the championship in Jacksonville, the new home for states. The players will be able to look back 10 or 15 years from now and say, “Wow, I was a part of that.” If they come back to visit Ocoee, they can look into the trophy case and remember their journey. It’s an accomplishment hardly anyone will be able to say they did and add a storybook ending to the eight seniors’ high school accomplishments.
“I told them, ‘You never forget the first,’” Spencer said. “Even if somebody wins it after us, they’ll always say, ‘Well who won the first?’ And that’s what we’re trying to do. Make sure these girls have a lasting legacy. So that’s what we’ve been talking about since day one.”
