By James Oyola
MaxPreps.com
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Defending state champion Pine Crest (24-4) rallied from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and defeated American Heritage 61-59 in the Class 3A regional semifinal at Stacy Gym on Tuesday.
Area fans were spoiled in this contest by having the luxury of witnessing four players from the Under-17 AAU outfit Team Breakdown, which won two national championships last summer. Kenny Boynton Jr. (American Heritage), Brandon Knight (Pine Crest), Ray Taylor (American Heritage) and Ed Waite (Pine Crest) dominated the national competition last summer.
Junior guard Brandon Knight, regarded as one of the top five players in the class of 2010, led the way for the Panthers by scoring a team-high 26 points to go along with seven assists.
Knight and his Panthers had a tough time containing the Patriots early in the game as they quickly raced to an 8-2 run led by senior point guard Ray Taylor. The 5-foot-6 Taylor, who finished with a game-high 27 points, scored all eight points in the run and helped his team take a 11-9 lead by the end of the first quarter.
After Taylor's impressive beginning, teammate and McDonald's All-American guard Kenny Boynton Jr. took over.
Boynton, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds, scored 10 points in the second quarter and helped his team take a 27-23 lead with 1:45 remaining until halftime. The standout senior connected on a pair of 3-pointers and stifled Panther defenders with his Kobe Bryant-like moves to the rim.
The Patriots had much momentum heading into halftime and continued their stellar play in the second half before the Panthers proved, once again, why they are the reigning state champions.
Taylor, a Florida Atlantic commit, scored 11 of his 27 points in the third quarter and helped Heritage take a 46-40 lead heading into the fourth.
The Panthers had enough of Boynton and Taylor's dominance and took over in the game’s final period.
They outscored American Heritage 21-13 in the fourth and diffused all their momentum.
Following Boynton’s 3-pointer that gave the Patriots a 51-40 lead with 6:12 left in regulation, Knight helped cut the deficit to two with 1:27 left after hitting a pair of clutch free throws as part of a 15-6 run. Knight scored 13 of his team's 21 points in the fourth.
After a time out by Heritage, coach Danny Herz drew up a play that allowed Boynton a breakaway layup extending the lead 59-55.
On the ensuing possession, senior Ed Waite hit arguably the biggest shot of the game. The 6-5 forward, who finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds, connected on an unusual 3-pointer that brought his team to within one with 56 seconds left to play.
Then, Knight stole Heritage’s inbound pass to Boynton and was fouled.
Although many thought Boynton was fouled during the strip, officials did not confirm it and Knight had a chance to tie or take the lead. The standout junior hit both free throws and gave his team a 60-59 lead with 14 seconds left in regulation.
American Heritage (20-6) had one last chance to even the score as Boynton, a University of Florida signee, was fouled with 3.6 seconds remaining and went to the line for a one-and-one attempt. Boynton, who averages 31.4 points per game, missed the free throw and fell to the Panthers for the sixth time in his career.
The Panthers will advance and defend their Class 3A title against LaSalle in the regional final on Feb. 28.
Notable: Boynton Jr. was named as one of five finalists for the Naismith Player of the Year Award given to the nation's top prep basketball player.
Other Playoff Results
Class 6A
Forward Bryce Clark led Ely to a 68-66 overtime win against Miramar in the Class 6A regional semifinal. Clark, a senior, led the Tigers (24-5) with a game-high 31 points and 18 rebounds. The Tigers, who won the state title 2007, will advance to face Santaluces in the regional final on Feb. 28.
Coral Reef defeated South Miami 67-63 in the regional semifinals. Jerron Granberry led the way for Coral Reef by scoring 17 points and pulling down six boards. The Barracudas (23-4) will advance to face Dr. Krop in the regional final on Feb. 28.
Dr. Krop (25-4) defeated defending state champion Miami Norland 53-46 in the regional semifinals. Krop, which won its third consecutive game against the Vikings, was led by sophomore standout Angel Rodriguez who scored 10 points to go along with 10 assists and four steals.
Class 5A
Dillard (24-5), the defending state champions, withstood a gutsy performance by Northeast and edged the Hurricanes 39-38 in the regional semifinals. Jeremiah Eason, who finished with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds, hit the game-winning shot for the Panthers to seal the win. Dillard will now face Dwyer in the regional finals on Feb. 28.
Class 4A
Defending state champion Monsignor Pace (24-7) defeated Belen Jesuit 62-56 in the regional semifinals. Rakeem Buckles, a Louisville commit, led the Spartans with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, while also hitting four clutch free throws in the game’s final minute. Pace will advance to its ninth consecutive regional final and will face Cocoa on Feb. 28.
Class 2A
Archbishop Curley defeated Miami Country Day 43-39 in the regional semifinal. Christian Ortiz led the way for the Knights with 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Curley (27-2) will advance to its second consecutive regional final and will face Summit Christian on Feb. 28.
Class 1A
Grandview Prep (26-0) defeated Berean Christian 85-68 in the regional semifinal. Grandview will advance to face Westlake Prep in the regional final on Feb. 28.
Westlake Prep, led by junior center Lyndon Davis, defeated Calusa Prep 66-54. Davis recorded a triple double by scoring 28 points to go along with 21 rebounds and 10 blocks.
