PHOTOS: West Orange tops Lake Minneola at Metro vs. Florida -- Observer Preps

APOPKA The West Orange boys basketball team raced out to a 20-4 advantage in the first quarter against Lake Minneola Nov. 23 and never relinquished the lead, holding on for a 73-63 victory on the opening day of the 2016 Metro vs. Florida Challenge at Apopka High.

"I thought our defense was great — we played with a lot of energy," head coach Eric Jones said. "Offensively, we were able to make some shots."

KJ Simon led all scorers with 23 points for the Warriors (1-0).

Tyler Yorke chipped in 13 points and Josh Robinson and Dakota Rivers each contributed six rebounds on the glass.

Lake Minneola was led by 19 points from K'mani Doughty.

West Orange returns to action Nov. 29 at East Ridge. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].