A packed Mustang Arena and a roaring Wekiva band set the stage Thursday night as rivals Apopka and Wekiva met in a high-energy basketball showdown. This match swung after halftime as the Mustangs dominated the third quarter and pulled away for a 56-40 win.  

The opening minutes matched the environment — fast, physical, and defensive. Apopka struck first when Trent Jean jumped a passing lane at midcourt and finished strong at the rim. Wekiva answered a few possessions later as Louvens Saint-Pierre blasted through the lane for a tying layup, signaling the kind of inside-out battle that would define the night. 

Apopka seized control midway through the first quarter. Rafi Betancourt drove and kicked to Alex Congdon for a corner 3, and after back-to-back free throw trips from both sides, the Blue Darters found rhythm behind their pressure defense.  

Jean found Freeman at the top of the key for a 3, then immediately picked another pocket. In transition, Freeman swung it to Noah Ferrer in the corner, who buried a triple. Another forced foul led to Jorquavion McClain driving and kicking out to Jaden Andino for yet another trey, pushing Apopka ahead 15-5 at the end of the first. 

Wekiva’s response came loudly in the second quarter. Eric Nichols answered a foul call by forcing a turnover and drilling a deep 3 from several feet beyond the arc. Moments later, Khai Orr forced a turnover into the hands of Nichols, who rose up for a thunderous dunk that sent the arena into a frenzy and forced an Apopka timeout. The momentum flipped, and Saint-Pierre buried a contested, falling-away 3 to give Wekiva its first lead. 

Kaiden Jean-Louis checked in and converted an and-one floater for Wekiva, but Jean continued to disrupt passing lanes. After consecutive steals, the Blue Darters tied the game at 22 on a Jacques Evariste three, then briefly reclaimed the lead at the free throw line. Jace Moore answered with free throws on the other end, sending the teams into halftime locked at 24-24. 

“They raised their level,” Apopka coach Scott Williams said. “They were more equipped for a game like this than we were tonight in December. Our job now is to learn from it and be better equipped in emotional games like this.” 

Wekiva opened the third quarter firing on all cylinders. Saint-Pierre hit a 3 just over a minute into the half, then returned to the same spot moments later to bury another, forcing a quick Apopka timeout. He followed with a pull-up triple in transition and a layup off a steal, stretching the lead to double digits. 

The Mustangs defense smothered Apopka throughout the frame, forcing turnovers and rushed shots. Kenny Dieujuste helped the run late, forcing a turnover that led to a Markel Anderson coast-to-coast finish through contact. After two free throws, Dieujuste struck again with a steal and an outlet to Orr for a crafty up-and-under layup. Wekiva closed the quarter ahead 44-25, allowing just one Apopka point in the period. 

“I told them, if you’re gonna be good, you gotta be good all the time,” Wekiva coach Gersino Lubin said off his halftime message. “You can’t get slapped first in our gym, our home, with this environment. These people pay good money to see good ball, and y’all are laying the egg! If you don’t want to play, sit down — somebody else will do your job.” 

Apopka showed resilience in the fourth. Betancourt knocked down a corner 3, then followed a steal with a feed to McClain for a powerful dunk that energized the traveling Blue Darter crowd. Ferrer later converted a steal into a 3, trimming the deficit to seven with three minutes remaining. 

The Darter surge was met with an answer. Nichols calmly sank two free throws, and after a missed free throw on the other end, Dieujuste secured the offensive rebound and finished inside to push the lead back to double digits.  

Saint-Pierre led Wekiva with 14 points and four rebounds, while Nichols added 10 points, four blocks and steals, and three rebounds. Jean-Louis provided nine points off the bench, and Dieujuste anchored the paint with 10 rebounds. 

For Apopka, Ferrer finished with nine points, six rebounds and three combined steals and blocks. McClain also scored nine, while Jean was a menace defensively with seven steals. 

“We were very inefficient offensively in the middle two quarters, and you can’t do that against them,” Williams said. “But I’m proud of our character in the fourth. Proud of our effort to finish pretty close to making it real interesting at the end.” 

Lubin was proud of the fight in his guys, praising his team’s response more than the result. 

“I like the fact that they found a way, because it was a hard game for them to figure out,” he said. “Keeping teenagers locked in is hard. But when we block everything else out and focus on what we’re doing, we’ll be okay.” 

The Wekiva Mustangs head into a long break at 9-3 and will wait until Jan. 13 for action against Leesburg. The Blue Darters head into a short break at 7-5. They play back-to-back games Dec. 29-30 against Creekside (4-4) and Flagler Palm Coast (6-4).