Basketball Recap: Apopka Takes Down Ocoee in a Playoff Battle

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Apopka walked away with it. They took down the Ocoee Knights 63-47 on Friday. Given the Blue Darters' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 40th, while the Knights are ranked 180th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Jermichael Johnson

Field Goal Percentage

02/07/25 @ Ocoee	57%
02/05/25 vs East Ridge	50%
01/31/25 @ Bartow	60%
01/27/25 vs Olympia	56%
01/24/25 @ Windermere	45%
01/22/25 vs University	53%

Apopka's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jermichael Johnson, who went 8 for 14 en route to 19 points and four steals. Johnson is also on a roll when it comes to field goal percentage, as he's posted one of at least 45% in the last six games he's played. Larson Taylor was another key player, putting up 11 points and seven rebounds.

Apopka smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive contests.

Apopka is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 19-7 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.5 points over those games. As for Ocoee, they dropped their record down to 11-14 with the loss, which was their third straight at home.

Coming up, Apopka will square off against Colonial at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. One thing working in Colonial's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last eight games. Ocoee does not have any more games scheduled as of now.