The Wekiva boys basketball team showed out in style on senior night, delivering a dominant 67-32 win over Jones in the group’s final game of the regular season. Seniors Darion Thomas, Louvens Saint Pierre, Jasen Francillon, and Markel Anderson were honored, then led their Mustangs into the postseason with momentum on their side. 

Jones struck first with a putback layup and followed it with a dunk on the next possession, but the Mustangs answered. Darion Thomas opened Wekiva’s scoring at the free-throw line before Markel Anderson powered in a tough layup and Jasen Francillon finished in the paint off a forced turnover.  

The early back-and-forth pace energized the packed crowd as Saint Pierre added a pull-up jumper at the elbow late in the quarter. Wekiva carried an 11-8 lead after one, setting the tone with defense and transition play. 

The Mustangs began to separate in the second quarter. Francillon drilled a 3 from the top of the key, and Kenny Dieujuste began asserting himself on the glass with a strong rebound and finish inside. Then Wekiva’s leading scorer, Eric Nichols, checked in and caught fire. 

Nichols buried a triple off the dribble, then knocked down a catch-and-shoot 3 off a pass from Anderson. He followed it with a smooth shot off one foot to push the Mustangs ahead by seven with two minutes left in the half. Free throws from Jace Moore closed out a strong quarter as Wekiva entered halftime up 26-17. 

Darion Thomas opened the third quarter with two free throws, and Anderson’s on-ball defense led to a steal and another Francillon bucket inside. Francillon later stepped out and hit a 3 after an offensive rebound bounced his way, and Anderson pushed the pace before finding Nichols in the corner for a wide-open 3. By the end of the third, Wekiva had built a commanding 40-24 advantage. 

What followed in the fourth quarter was a full celebration of senior night. 

Khai Orr ignited the period by jumping a passing lane, finishing through contact, and completing the three-point play. Dieujuste cleaned up another offensive rebound, Francillon added a putback of his own, and Saint Pierre sliced through the defense for a reverse layup.  

With three minutes left, Nichols brought the gym to its feet with a step-back 3 after dancing on the perimeter. The Mustangs kept pressing, forcing turnovers and turning them into points. Thomas hit a 3, then Saint Pierre stole the ball and found him again for another trey. 

The night ended with a bang. As the clock wound down, Saint Pierre tossed the ball off the backboard to Francillon, who rose up and hammered home an alley-oop slam dunk at the buzzer, sending the crowd into one final eruption as Wekiva closed out the 35-point win. 

Nichols led all scorers with 17 points. Francillon finished with 14 points, six rebounds, a block, and two steals. Darion Thomas added 12 points, five steals, and a block in a complete two-way performance. 

After the game, Francillon reflected on his senior night showing. 

“I worked the inside and shot the ball when I needed to,” he said. “It feels good, honestly. I know we have a lot of stuff to work on, but I feel like with this team, we got a good chance at making states.” 

Markel Anderson, who set the tone defensively, emphasized the team’s identity heading into the playoffs. 

“It was expected,” Anderson said. “If we play hard, play together, play defense, and we’re into the game, it’s just us at our best potential. Hopefully we carry this into the postseason. We’re gonna bring a lot of energy, a lot of defense, and run in transition.” 

Head coach Gersino Lubin praised his team’s effort and especially his seniors. 

“The guys just work hard,” Lubin said. “Markel said it in a nutshell. We work really hard at practice. This is what we work on every day. We’re going to win or lose by it. Markel is like a heartbeat. The kid is just amazing. He’s a senior. That’s the bad news.” 

Looking ahead to the postseason, Lubin believes this group has all the tools to make another deep run like their 2022-23 state semifinal team. 

“This team doesn’t lack anything,” he said. “This is the best team I’ve ever coached. They love each other. They play hard for each other. That’s what tonight was about.”