LAKE WORTH – Dwyer had a chance on the road against Lake Worth last night (Jan. 31).
The second-ranked Panthers (21-1) found themselves down 9-0 in the first quarter to the top-ranked Trojans (18-1), but found way to claw back into this one as the first half wore on.
The nation’s No. 20-ranked team – per MaxPreps – was even able to cut Lake Worth’s lead to 26-24 toward the end of the first half.
But the Trojans defense came on quite strong to stave off a Panthers attempt to tie the game up.
The halftime score was at 26-24 in favor of Lake Worth.
“It showed our resiliency,” Lake Worth head coach Frank Baxley said. “When times got hard, we just didn’t lay down. Credit to Dwyer. They were down starting off, but they didn’t give up.”
Lake Worth never trailed in this showdown, even as the second half swung from a potential home blowout win to a close one at the end.
In short, the third quarter was mostly about Lake Worth, as it outscored Dwyer by a score of 21-7 in that key frame.
The fourth quarter had a different feel to it, as Dwyer did everything it could to stage a late comeback.
“Both teams fought hard,” Baxley said. “It showed based on our record, tough games like this happen. That’s a winning team, a winning program. And so we know how to fight and not just lay down. If you’re down, get back in the game.”
Lake Worth senior guard Calvin “Bobo” Sirmans led Lake Worth with 20 points, while fellow senior Marvin “Li Merv” Golf added 10 points of his own.
“We knew this was going to be a competitive game,” Sirmans said. “They have been wanting to come out and play us all year. I just wanted to come out, lead the team, and play hard.”
Golf spoke on his 10-point effort, which came mainly in the second half of Lake Worth’s five-point home win over Dwyer.
“I knew that when Bobo went out, I had to just step up as a leader and as a senior,” Golf said. “Come out and pick up where he left off.”
Sirmans was out of the game for a bit with cramps. But he was not going to let anything stop him for making his mark in Palm Beach County’s Game of the Year.
“I had to get back in the game,” Sirmans said. “Seeing the team was kind of struggling, I just wanted to get back in and help the guys out.”
Meanwhile, Golf spoke on what this game meant for Lake Worth and how his team will proceed moving forward.
“I just feel like everybody is starting to wake up now,” Golf said. “We’re starting to prove our point. We can play with anybody in the county.”
Sirmans on Lake Worth being the clear-cut No. 1 team in Palm Beach County:
“Taking it one game at a time,” Sirmans said. “And another ride to states. I feel like we’re going to go back to states. We’re going to play hard every game because not every game is promised to us. It’s our senior year, so we have to go out with a bang.”
NEXT GAME FOR LAKE WORTH: Friday (Feb. 3) vs. Boynton Beach (6-10) in regular season finale – 7:30 tip-off at home
NEXT GAME FOR DWYER: Friday (Feb. 3) at Forest Hill (8-11) in regular season finale – 7:30 tip-off on the road
GAME ATTENDANCE: More than 1,000 at Lake Worth High School Gymnasium
PHOTO CREDITS: Derrick L. Franklin and Kenneth Stephens
VIDEO CREDITS: Kenneth Stephens
