Wekiva’s latest two games played out very differently, but the result was the same as the Mustangs moved to 4-0 on the young season. Wekiva did it with a dominant defensive showcase Monday against Seabreeze (1-2) after a fight to the finish against Lake Nona (1-2) on Nov. 21 — a game watched by nearly 2,000 fans.

The Mustangs rolled past Seabreeze 55–23 in the Metro vs. Florida Classic. After an 8-8 first quarter, they blew the game open with a 19–3 second-quarter surge and smothered the Sandcrabs with relentless man-to-man pressure. 

The lead ballooned quickly after halftime when Francillon hammered home a baseline dunk, buried a corner 3 on the next possession, and converted an and-one opportunity after two offensive rebounds through contact. 

Eric Nichols capped a 13–0 run with his fingerprints all over the defensive end, piling up steals, rebounds and a chase-down block pinned against the backboard.

Wekiva led 42–16 entering the fourth and never let Seabreeze breathe. Kaiden Jean-Louis opened the final frame with a jumper, and 3-pointers from Khai Orr and Darion Thomas stretched the margin to 30. 

Francillon finished with 10 points to pace the Mustangs, Thomas added nine, Kenny Diejuste eight and Louvens Saint Pierre seven. Nichols earned game MVP honors for his all-around impact, especially defensively.

The real measuring-stick game came three days earlier, when Wekiva held off a late Lake Nona surge to win 59–52 in front of its loudest home crowd since its state championship era.

“We came out strong off adrenaline, but when that fizzles, the game becomes mental,” head coach Gersino Lubin said. “We lost the third quarter because we relaxed, but I’m proud of how we figured it out defensively. That’s our staple — that’s who we are.”

The gym erupted early as Francillon scored the opening basket and Diejuste delivered two thunderous putback dunks, the second coming as he climbed over a Lake Nona rebounder to slam home a missed layup. 

The run exploded into a 16–0 burst as Nichols drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, Saint Pierre hit a baseline fadeaway and then another 3, and the Mustangs’ full-court press overwhelmed the Lions. 

Wekiva led 20–9 after the first and 29–17 at halftime, fueled by 12 offensive rebounds and a 25–12 advantage on the glass.

But Lake Nona stormed back after halftime, twice trimming the deficit to five and eventually taking a 49–48 lead with 3:10 left. Suddenly on its heels, Wekiva needed a spark and got one. Orr entered out of a timeout, immediately grabbed a steal and hit Saint Pierre in stride for a go-ahead layup. A technical foul on the Lake Nona bench gave Nichols a free throw, and Wekiva regained control.

From there, the Mustangs took over. Diejuste delivered a huge block, Nichols converted off a steal in transition and Saint Pierre knocked down three of four at the line as Wekiva forced four straight turnovers to seal it.

Saint Pierre finished with 17 points and Nichols added 15, while Diejuste produced a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double. Francillon chipped in 12 in the winning effort.

Lubin said the game “100% humbled” his team in the best way.

“It brought us back down,” he said. “We weren’t at full cylinder, but we figured it out defensively. That’s who we are.”

The Mustangs return to the court at 7:30 p.m. Monday at home to face Timber Creek (1-0).