ORLANDO, Fla.- The 1st Annual Florida Hoopfest held four teams with high aspirations to win a state championship this year, hailing from three states.
HSSportsFlorida staff writer Ross Van De Griek was on hand to cover the opening day of the event, which featured two games with highly recruited players on both sides.
Game 1: Duncanville (Texas) 79, Blake 65
In the opening game of the Florida Hoopfest, The Duncanville Panthers picked up a marquee win over the reigning Florida Class 5A state runner-up Blake Yellow Jackets, 79-65.
The Panthers (8-3) led wire-to-wire where they began the game on a 9-0 run through the first three minutes of the game, with Edwards scoring the first seven points of the game. They took a 19-6 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Panthers were in complete cruise control in the first half, where they led by as many as 23 and took a 40-19 lead heading into the halftime locker room.
The Panthers were led by TCU commit Kayden Edwards, finishing with a game-high 30 points and 10 rebounds where his versatility spoke high volumes on both ends of the floor, as well as his ability to score on all three levels on the offensive end.
The Panthers also got key contributions from 6-3 sophomore guard Christopher “Deuce” Hunt Jr. adding 18 points on 3-of-7 shooting from behind the arc, 7 rebounds, and four assists in the win.
The Yellow Jackets (9-1) were led by 6-7 senior forward Joshua Lewis, finishing with a team-high 29 points in the loss, while 6-8 junior guard Jojo Philon added 20.
In the fourth quarter, The Yellow Jackets got within single digits before Duncanville responded with a run of their own to balloon the lead back up to 13 and never looked back.
Blake will face North Broward Prep on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in the other matchup on Day 2:
Game 2: Pebblebrook (Georgia) 77, Oak Ridge 62
In the other matchup of the opening day at the Florida Hoopfest, The Pebblebrook Falcons played spoiler in taking down the No. 10 ranked team in the nation, according to MaxPreps’ Oak Ridge 77-62 in their home gymnasium on Friday night.
The Falcons (7-5) had three players score in double figures where they were led by 6-3 junior guard Jaylen Humphrey finishing with 17 points and six rebounds in the win. 5-10 junior guard Zyree Brown added 13 and 6-10 senior center Fallou Dioum added 12 in the win.
The Pioneers (7-4) have now dropped three consecutive games (Montverde Academy and IMG Academy) in the previous two at the City of Palms Classic and were led by LSU commit Jalen Reece finishing with a game-high 26 points on 3-of-8 shooting from behind the arc, as well as having six assists in the loss.
Providence signee Jamier Jones added a double-double in the loss, finishing with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and a blocked shot.
The Falcons took a 19-14 lead after the opening quarter, as well as a 34-23 lead heading into the half on a running floater by Humphrey. The Falcons were able to maintain their lead heading into the final eight minutes of play, 53-48.
Day 2 Schedule at Florida Hoopfest
Blake vs North Broward Prep- Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Duncanville (Texas) vs Oak Ridge- Saturday at 6:00 p.m.
