By James Oyola
MaxPreps.com
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – A game that featured two of the country's top players and two of the top teams in Florida's Class 3A was overshadowed by the hard work and hustle of one unsung hero.
Pine Crest, led by All-American guard Brandon Knight, defeated American Heritage 81-68 in the District 14-3A championship game at Pompano Beach High School on Saturday night.
Knight, a junior, scored a team-high 32 points and dished out eight assists helping the Panthers capture their third consecutive District 14 title.
Despite Knight's efforts, it was senior forward Ed Waite who played a significant role in the victory by totaling 27 points and grabbing a game-high 17 rebounds.
"When you play with a guy like Brandon its easy to take advantage," Waite said. "The other teams usually focus more on him which gives us a chance to step up and make plays. My coaches have been telling me that I've been slacking on my rebound game and that, in order for us to win tonight, I had to crash the boards. That was my assignment and I'm glad that I didn't disappoint them."
American Heritage (19-5) star Kenny Boynton Jr. scored a game-high 38 points but it was not enough as his team saw an 11-game win streak snapped.
Boynton, who was sidelined with a sprained ankle in American Heritage's 73-69 win over Pine Crest on Jan. 31, ignited a spark by scoring 13 of his 38 points in the opening period, helping the Patriots to a 19-8 lead with 2:01 left in the quarter. The All-American connected on a pair of 3-pointers and a series of layups to fuel his team’s momentum.
"They're a great team man," Boynton said. "They won the state championship last year for a reason, they know how to play together. We didn't get it done tonight, but this will give us a chance to work on some things and prepare for the regional quarterfinals. We'll see them again."
Knight countered Boynton's strong beginning in the first quarter by erupting for 14 points in the second. The standout junior dazed Patriot defenders with a combination of pull-up jump shots and aggressive drives to the basket, while helping his team rally from their deficit to tie the game 38-38 by halftime.
Waite then grabbed the baton from Knight and took over.
The All-Broward County selection scored nine of his team's first 11 points and helped the Panthers race to a 53-46 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Boynton, who was double-teamed the entire game, did his best to rally his team in the fourth after converting on a couple of 3-point plays. The standout guard scored nine points in the final stanza but it was not enough as his team was outscored 28-22.
Knight regained control and went on to score six straight points increasing the lead 77-60 with 2:28 remaining in regulation.
Knight's scoring abilities, complimented by Waite's dominance on the boards, proved to be too much for American Heritage as they fell to Pine Crest for the second time this season.
Notable
If both schools win their regional quarterfinal matchups on Feb. 19, Pine Crest and American Heritage could meet for a fourth time in the regional semifinals on Feb. 24.
Miami-Dade County Top Basketball Performers, Feb. 9-15
Boys
Angel Rodriguez, Dr. Krop – Rodriguez, a sophomore, led Krop to the District 13-6A title after hitting the game-winning shot and defeating Norland, the defending 6A champions, 53-51 on Feb. 14. With seven seconds left, Rodriguez scored two of his game-high 21 points on a layup to seal the win.
Samuel Soto, Calusa Prep – Soto, a junior, led Calusa to a 62-51 win over Champagnat in the District 16-1A final on Feb. 14 by scoring 20 points to go along with 16 rebounds and three blocks.
Alex Rudolph, Miami Country Day – Rudolph, a senior, led MCD to a 76-74 overtime win against Dade Christian in the District 15-2A semifinal by scoring a game-high 39 points to go along with 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals on Feb. 11. He followed with a triple-double in the District 15-2A final, leading MCD to a 47-46 win over Archbishop Curley on Feb. 14. Rudolph scored 17 points to go along with 17 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.
Charles Hankerson, Coral Reef – Hankerson, a senior, led Coral Reef to its first District 16 title in school history after posting 23 points and 10 rebounds in a 73-64 win over Palmetto on Feb. 14.
Ed Stinson, South Dade – Stinson, a senior, led South Dade with 29 points and 15 rebounds helping them to a 83-62 win over Killian on Feb. 12.
Tim Hardaway Jr., Palmetto – Hardaway, a junior, led Palmetto to a 65-63 win over South Dade in the District 16-6A semifinals by scoring a game-high 29 points (including eight in the fourth quarter), to go along with eight rebounds and two assists on Feb. 13.
Eddie Odio, Miami Christian – Odio, a senior, hit the game-winning shot to give Miami Christian a 53-50 win in double overtime over Palmer Trinity on Feb. 14. Odio led MC to the District 16-2A title by scoring 15 points, to go along with 11 rebounds and three steals.
Rakeem Buckles, Monsignor Pace – Buckles, a senior, led the Spartans to a 56-52 win over Belen Jesuit and its 10th-straight District 16 championship on Feb. 14 by scoring 17 points and grabbing rebounds.
Girls
Cleandra Roberts, Miami Norland – Roberts, a junior, led the undefeated Vikings to a 56-36 win over Hialeah by scoring 27 points on Feb. 13.
Alyssa Baron, Gulliver Prep – Baron, a junior, led Gulliver Prep to a 59-34 win over LaSalle with a game-high 26 points (18 in the second half) on Feb. 13.
Broward County Top Basketball Performers, Feb. 9-15
Boys
James Williams, Deerfield Beach – Williams, a junior, led DFB in a 71-62 win over Taravella by scoring 25 points and grabbing 15 boards on Feb. 12.
Xavier Martin, Miramar – Martin, a junior, led Miramar to a 97-77 win over South Broward by scoring a game-high 31 points to go along with 15 rebounds and five assists on Feb. 12
Kyle Marshall, Flanagan – Marshall, a junior, led Flanagan to a 60-53 win over Western by scoring 21 points and grabbing 13 rebounds on Feb. 11.
Fredrick Conner, Blanche Ely – Conner, a junior, led Ely to a 82-67 win over Deerfield Beach by scoring a game-high 33 points and handing out six assists on Feb. 13.
Kenny Boynton, American Heritage – Boynton, a senior, led the Patriots to a 78-52 win over North Broward prep by scoring 34 points on Feb. 13.
Candace Parson, Dillard – Parson, a junior, had 24 point and eight rebounds helping Dillard to a 70-38 win over North Fort Meyers in the 5A regional quaterfinal on Feb. 13.
Robert Gordon, Fort Lauderdale Christian – Gordon, a senior, led Christian to a 62-52 win over Westlake prep by scoring a game-high 31 points (including four 3-pointers) on Feb. 13.
Thelbert Green, Blanche Ely – Green, a senior, led the Tigers to a 68-64 win over nationally-ranked Boyd Anderson in the District 11-6A championship on Feb. 14. Green scored a team-high 17 points and grabbed five rebounds in the win.
Girls
Jassany Williams, Nova – Williams, a junior, led Nova to a 57-31 win over Cape Coral by scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on Feb. 13.
Taylor Dicus, Cardinal Newman – Dicus, a sophomore, led all scorers with 17 points helping Cardinal Newman to a 53-31 win over Pompano Beach in the 3A quarterfinal on Feb. 13.
Jelani Hewitt, Northeast – Hewitt, a junior, led the Hurricanes to a 48-47 win over defending Class 5A champion Dillard in the District 16-5A championship on Feb. 15 by posting a game-high 20 points to go along with five assists.
Girls Soccer: American Heritage takes 3A title
American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), led by freshman forward Jannell Johnson, captured the Class 3A state title by defeating defending 3A champion Jacksonville Bolles 2-1 on Saturday night at Peppin Stadium in Tampa.
Johnson, who assisted on both goals, helped the Patriots attain their fifth Class 3A title in school history.
First, she found sophomore Amunique Scott early in the game to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead over Bolles. After Bolles tied it 1-1, Johnson found senior Kleopatra Ruddock for the go-ahead score with less than 10 minutes to play.