The Apopka (9-8) and Wekiva (13-5) boys basketball teams met for the second time this season Thursday night in a tale of two halves. After being outplayed for much of the first half, the Mustangs flipped the game with defensive intensity. They held Apopka to just seven second-half points in a 45-35 win in the Metro West Tournament consolation game. 

Even before tipoff, Wekiva coach Gersino Lubin knew the night would be demanding. 

“I’m nervous. I got butterflies flying around in my stomach,” Lubin said before the game. 

The team came out shaky also, with Apopka jumping out first. Jarquavion McClain found Noah Ferrer down low for an open layup. After two empty Wekiva possessions, Zee Davis drilled a wing 3, setting up a strong opening quarter.  

Eric Nichols got the Mustangs on the board with a catch-and-shoot jumper just inside the arc off a Darion Thomas assist, but Davis responded with another triple. 

The quarter became a back-and-forth between Davis and Nichols. Nichols countered from the baseline, then Davis found space again in the corner and buried a 3 in the face of the defense. When Wekiva pressured Davis at the top, Nichols found Khai Orr slipping inside for an easy finish, but Davis drew a foul and hit a free throw to extend Apopka’s lead to 15-6.  

Jasen Francillon closed the quarter with four straight points as Wekiva trimmed the deficit to 15-10. 

Apopka’s traveling crowd arrived in waves but made its presence felt, roaring with every steal and basket as the Blue Darters continued to apply pressure in the second quarter. Apopka opened the frame with a defensive stop and a Ferrer layup in transition. After an Evariste pull-up jumper, Markel Anderson answered with a wing 3 for Wekiva. 

Physical defense slowed the pace midway through the quarter. Apopka broke through Wekiva’s trapping zone with crisp ball movement, working an inside-out look that led to Davis’ fourth 3 of the half, forcing a Mustangs timeout with Apopka up 22-13.  

Out of the break, Apopka stayed aggressive, getting another 3 from Xavier Bell after a takeaway. Kaiden Jean-Louis answered from deep for Wekiva, but Bell rang again from the corner after a touch pass from Davis.  

Kenny Dieujuste and Orr added four late free throws to head into halftime down 28-20. Apopka finished the half with seven 3-pointers, four coming from Davis, while forcing turnovers that fueled its momentum. 

The game changed entirely after the break. 

Defense controlled the third quarter as both teams fought for rebounds and struggled to find clean looks. After two free throws from Dieujuste, Orr jumped a passing lane and went coast to coast, only to be denied at the rim by McClain. The Mustangs stayed aggressive, and Dieujuste responded moments later with a thunderous dunk over two Blue Darters that ignited the crowd. 

Darion Thomas followed with a falling teardropper in the paint to pull Wekiva within two, while Apopka struggled to find rhythm offensively. Louvens Saint Pierre returned after an earlier injury scare and made an immediate impact, grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing to tie the game. Wekiva held Apopka scoreless in the third, completing a 12-0 run to even the score. 

The Mustangs carried that momentum into the fourth. Dieujuste opened the quarter with a baseline jumper to give Wekiva its first lead. Apopka briefly answered when Xavier Bell deflected and stole a pass, no-looking a pass to McClain for an and-one, but Wekiva responded immediately. 

Jace Moore scored inside, then Nichols jumped a passing lane and finished a coast-to-coast layup to push the lead to 34-31. Dieujuste followed with two more free throws before Moore brought their lead to seven, picking off another pass and cocking back a monstrous slam that shook the gym. Orr added a free throw, then finished an alley-oop from Nichols as Wekiva continued to pour it on. 

Apopka was unable to convert down the stretch, missing opportunities to cut into the deficit as Wekiva closed the game on a 29-8 run. 

Dieujuste finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 6-for-6 from the line. Orr stepped up after Francillon’s early injury, contributing seven points and two steals. Davis led Apopka with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Ferrer added seven points and three steals. 

After the comeback, Lubin credited leadership over adjustments. 

“It was Louvens and our other leaders — they said enough was enough and decided to defend,” Lubin said. “They said this is our house, and we’re not going to lose here. Tonight, it was the seniors putting 10 toes down.” 

Apopka coach Scott Williams summed it up simply: “Tougher teams win.” 

In the final games of the consolation side of the tournament on Friday, Wekiva played Dr. Phillips and Apopka hosted Lake Buena Vista. The Blue Darters prevailed 57-30. The Mustangs had one of their most epic moments of the season.

Down 52-49 with under 20 seconds left of overtime, Darion “DJ” Thomas hit his biggest 3 of the season to tie it. After forcing a turnover on Dr. Phillips, they had 1.7 seconds to inbound and go the length of the court. They inbounded short to Nichols. From near the opposite 3 point line, he heaved one up in stride. Coach Lubin said the ball must’ve hung in the air for 10 seconds. It smacked the square of the backboard and went in for the jaw-dropping game winner.