PALM BEACH COUNTY – There are at least two elements that one can see and feel with Dwyer’s boys basketball program.
Led by three-time state champion head coach and Panthers legend Fred Ross, onlookers and those within the program will experience players sharing the ball with each other and the “non-starters” playing key roles in the team’s overall success.
Most importantly, this collective is about “we” more than anything else.
It was quite evident for Dwyer (18-0; No. 1-ranked team in Palm Beach County; No. 22-ranked team in the nation by MaxPreps) in its two most recent games: a very close 53-52 road win over Martin County (11-6) on Wednesday (Jan. 18) and a 66-43 home win over Jupiter (14-6) on Friday (Jan. 20).
Ross spoke on how Dwyer pulled off its one-point win over Martin County, which was made possible by a game-winning jump shot from senior guard Frenelson Atilus.
“Good teams find a way to win,” Ross said. “We got lucky and made that shot in the end. There were several opportunities we had that we didn’t capitalize on. But sometimes they say the basketball gods are with you. They were with us, so we got the win.”
Ross spoke on Atilus, who has emerged as one of the team’s most important players over the course of this season.
“If you look at the last five possessions of the game, Frenelson had the ball,” Ross said. “He was due. He’s a confident player. We always say, ‘Move on to the next play.’ Even though he had a couple of turnovers, he kept his composure to make a play at the end. He did it. He made a great play.”
Atilus broke down his game-winner.
“My team trusted me in that moment,” Atilus said. “They kept trusting me with the ball at the end of the game. Without them, we wouldn’t win.”
Fellow Dwyer senior Mason Brown added to the comments made by Atilus.
“We just stayed solid and trusted the process,” Brown said. “Coach told us to slide our feet and box out and do the little stuff on defense and get the rebounds. That’s what we did. We tried to get a smart shot off.”
Moving on from Wednesday night in Martin County to Friday night at home against Jupiter, the outcome was quite different.
Do not be fooled by the 23-point margin of victory from last night. Jupiter actually hung with Dwyer for most of the game, as evidenced by a score of 28-25 midway through the third quarter.
From that point forward, Dwyer started to pull away by tightening up its defense, which set up the offense for a series of game-breaking plays.
There was a dunk by Brown toward the end of the third quarter that gave Dwyer all the momentum.
“I seen penetration and went in for the steal,” Brown said. “When I went in and went up, I tried to draw contact. But I exploded off back there and got the slam.”
And from that point on, the home team did not look back.
“Pretty much just moving the ball, trying to get something good every time we had a chance,” Brown said. “It’s all about defense. We just executed and tried to get the best shot.”
Atilus chimed in.
“We played great defense, got a couple of steals and fast breaks,” Atilus said. “We like to pass the ball to each other…Defense wins championships. We’re just proud of our defense.”
Atilus had more to say.
“Jupiter is a good team,” Atilus said. “But our team is a great team. We play defense. We love defense. And our offense will always flow. If someone is hot, we’ll hand him the ball. We have no selfish players.”
Ross on last night’s game against Jupiter:
“We started out tentative as far as attacking their defense,” Ross said. “But our guards figured it out. We got into a flow and attacked and kicked it out and made some threes. That kind of gave us a little cushion. And our defense took over.”
Dwyer has five regular season game left. They are as follows:
•Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 p.m.: Home against Santaluces (6-9)
•Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m.: Away at No. 3 Suncoast (17-4)
•Friday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m.: Home vs. Palm Beach Lakes (9-7)
•Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.: Away at No. 2 Lake Worth (15-1)
•Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m.: Away at Forest Hill (8-11)
Ross spoke on the regular season’s home stretch.
“Suncoast and Lake Worth to me are the top two teams in the area,” Ross said. “They’ve got size, a great point guard, great shooting, and great coaches. It’s going to be a battle.”
Ross made it a point to not overlook Dwyer’s other opponents.
“We got Santaluces on Tuesday,” Ross said. “It’s a home game. So we gotta get to that one first. We’ll get ready for all the games on our schedule.”
PHOTO/VIDEO CREDITS: Future Draft Style
