The Apopka boys basketball team wasted no time getting back into rhythm Monday afternoon, rolling past Creekside 68-47 in the Vince Carter Hall of Fame Classic at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach. 

Coming off the 11-day holiday break, head coach Scott Williams emphasized pushing the tempo early and not allowing the long layoff to show. The Blue Darters responded, breaking the game open with pace, pressure and perimeter shooting that set the tone from the opening minutes. 

Creekside struck first, converting two free throws on the opening possession, but Apopka answered immediately. Trent Jean found Rafi Betancourt for a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer on the Blue Darters’ first trip down the floor, igniting an offense that never looked back. Apopka mixed in points in the paint before giving up a 3 late in the quarter, but the tempo continued to build. 

Zee Davis, playing his first game back from injury, provided an immediate spark off the bench. Davis knocked down a 3 off a pass from Noah Ferrer, then followed it with a steal and finish in transition. After a tough bucket from Creekside, Apopka caught fire from deep. Xavier Freeman and Davis buried back-to-back 3s, while Ferrer and Jean wreaked havoc defensively, turning steals into easy points. The surge pushed Apopka ahead 22-15 at the end of the first. 

Coach Scott Williams was pleased to have Davis back in the lineup. 

“You see the difference it makes getting Zee back.” Williams said. “He’s a huge difference-maker and does so many important little things. He is just an intangible guy with high basketball IQ, and it just makes us better.” 

Creekside opened the second with a wing 3, but the Blue Darters quickly reloaded. Ferrer answered with a pull-up baseline jumper, and Jorquavion McClain jumped a pass after the inbounds for a layup to extend the lead to 27-18. Following a timeout, Davis continued his hot shooting, drilling two more corner 3s, both set up by Ferrer. 

Alex Congdon joined the barrage from beyond the arc as Apopka’s lead ballooned. Apopka closed the half with a defensive play, as Congdon picked off a pass and finished at the rim to send the Blue Darters into halftime with a 40-26 advantage. 

The second half opened with more of the same. Betancourt buried a corner 3 to start the third quarter as both teams settled into a defensive battle. After a brief exchange of baskets, Apopka broke Creekside’s full-court pressure when Davis fired an outlet pass up the floor to McClain, who drove in for a finish to make it 50-32 with three minutes left in the period. 

Congdon connected on his third 3 of the game shortly after, and Freeman capped the quarter by drilling a triple with three seconds remaining, stretching the lead to 56-36 heading into the fourth. 

Apopka controlled the pace to open the final frame before a timeout with 4:51 remaining. McClain scored coming out of the break, and after Jacques Evariste knocked down a corner 3, Davis found Congdon in the same spot for another triple. Davis added two free throws in the final minute as the Blue Darters cruised to the 21-point win. 

Davis and Congdon each knocked down four 3-pointers off the bench. Davis led with 18 points, eight rebounds, and three steals in his return, while Congdon added 15 points. Ferrer filled the stat sheet with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals. 

Williams credited his team’s defensive intensity and shooting for maintaining control throughout. 

“We made them uncomfortable,” Williams said. “We affected their ball handling. I thought we did a good job taking away a lot of their open 3s. They shoot a lot of them, and they shoot them well, and we forced them to not shoot well today. We did a wonderful job making shots.” 

A day later, they lost a close defensive battle to Flagler Palm Coast, 38-32. They are next scheduled to play in the Metro Conference Tournament on Jan. 6.