PALM BEACH GARDENS – This time last year, Dwyer’s mood was different.
Fresh off a loss to Martin County, the Dwyer Panthers chances at a Class 6A championship were stripped from their hands. Their season was over before it could start.
To leave an even worse taste in their mouths, Martin County went all the way, winning the 6A state championship.
This season, that feeling might be a little happier.
Unlike last year, the Panthers season isn’t over yet, and their chances at a Class 6A state title are still alive after they defeated Pembroke Pines Charter, 62-53.
The Panthers were led in scoring by Blake Wilson with 15 points. Kyle McNeal had 14 points, while Mason Brown added 12 points.
“It’s definitely exciting, but we just know we gotta step it up from the games we’ve had before,” Brown said. “Now it’s to another level. We all got to come together, get better, get healthy, and just know we’re not done.”
In a sense, last season’s loss to Martin County prepared Dwyer for this moment. Those who experienced the heartbreaking loss don’t want to witness it again and are ready to use it as motivation.
For McNeal, it taught Dwyer a hard lesson about needing a leader.
“Last year, we didn’t really have a leader after our man Xavier Scott went down,” McNeal said. “It was up to me, but I wasn’t there yet. I was building myself up to become a leader.”
Now, that won’t be the case. The hard work that, according to McNeal, began in the summer and is coming to fruition, one game at a time.
Still, it’s not hard to imagine an alternate reality.
No. 1 seed Dwyer (27-1) struggled in the first half against No. 3 seed Pembroke Pines Charter (16-11 final record). Despite being the higher seed, the Panthers entered halftime trailing by four points. At times, though, that lead stretched to double digits, but Dwyer responded every time.
“Our bench did a good job keeping us in the game, even though we were in foul trouble,” said Brown, who scored five of his 12 points in the fourth quarter. “We said in the locker room that we were right where we want to be, and we just have to keep stepping on their necks.”
In the second half, it all came together. Behind a particularly rowdy student section, the Panthers found their groove on the defensive end.
“Home court advantage, that’s what that meant,” Brown said about the crowd. “We love the crowd. That really brought our energy.”
Brown was among the catalysts of the defensive outburst, adding a few blocks down the stretch. He wasn’t alone, though, as the Panthers forced more turnovers than you can count on two hands.
“Coach [Ross] told us we have to put pressure, and as soon as we put pressure, we started getting steal after steal,” McNeal said. “We slowed the game down. We actually slowed down and put people in the right spots.”
With their trip to Lakeland booked, the games don’t get any easier for the Panthers.
No. 1 overall seed Dwyer will faceoff against No. 4 overall seed Tampa Wharton, who are no strangers to Lakeland.
Wharton made it to the state semifinals last season, where it lost to Martin County.
This season, Wharton holds a 24-6 record and will enter Lakeland off the back of a 52-35 win over Charlotte.
Dwyer, though, feels like there is only one thing that can stop it from winning the 6A state title.
“I feel like the only team who can beat us are ourselves,” Brown said. “As long as we come together and play as a team, no one can stop us.”
NOTE: The Dwyer-Wharton game will be held on Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m.
All State Final Four games – all classifications – will be played at RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
OTHER PALM BEACH COUNTY REGIONAL FINAL
CLASS 3A-REGION 2: No. 1 seed Windermere Prep 84, No. 3 seed King’s Academy 68
It has been a season to remember for King’s Academy (27-2 final record).
Though the Lions season ended in the Class 3A-Region 2 title game, they got a 1,000-point career from one of their players. In this one, it came from James Shoenfelt, who scored nine points in his final high school boys basketball game to reach 1,001 points.
Jermaine Council led the Lions with 20 points and four rebounds, while Javian Jones added 18 points and six steals.
PHOTO CREDIT: Future Draft Style
VIDEO CREDIT: Clara Sales
