Doral Academy unable to overcome Orlando powerhouse in girls' basketball state semifinal
Doral Academy had high hopes its second consecutive trip to the girls' basketball state final four would produce a better result than a year ago.
But the Firebirds ran into a familiar Orlando-based roadblock for Miami-Dade County teams in recent years - the Dr. Phillips Panthers.
Doral Academy became the latest Dade squad to have their season ended in Lakeland by the three-time reigning state champions, falling 72-54 in a Class 7A state semifinal at the RP Funding Center on Friday morning.
The defeat marked the fourth consecutive season that Dade's representative in the state's highest class was eliminated by an Orlando area team.
The Firebirds (21-8) lost in the same round to Orlando Colonial last season. Dr. Phillips eliminated Miami High in 2022 and 2023.
'They're a three-time state champion for a reason,' Doral coach Allison Bustamante said. 'They proved that today with the performance they put on. They've got bodies they rotate in and out the whole game and their full-court pressure got to us a little bit. We started great and shots stopped falling for us. It was quite the opposite for them and shots kept falling from deep.'
Doral found some rhythm during the first quarter and led 15-10 with 1:20 remaining in the period.
That's when the Panthers (21-9), who advanced to play Winter Haven in the 7A final on Saturday at 7 p.m., took control of the game with a 28-10 surge the rest of the half.
Sophomore Victoria Valle and junior Stephanie Vega each had 17 points to lead the Firebirds. But Doral struggled with Dr. Phillips' pressure defense, its size and its depth.
The Firebirds only went 7-deep in their rotation while Dr. Phillips' rotated in multiple bench players and its reserves outscored Doral's backups 30-0.
The Panthers' starting lineup included four players 5-foot-9 or taller while Doral did not have a starter taller than 5-8.
'Their height played a factor affecting our shots,' Valle said. 'They had a good game and we should have played better.'
Doral shot 21 for 55 from the field and went 6 for 19 from 3-point range. The Firebirds were also outrebounded 44-24 and 16-8 on the offensive glass.
'We were just focusing down low and thought they wouldn't hit shots,' Vega said. 'We should have stepped up more.'
Three times in the third quarter, Doral cut the deficit to seven and appeared ready to cut the game close as it did in last season's semifinal against Colonial when the Firebirds narrowed a 20-point deficit to one point in the closing seconds.
But Dr. Phillips answered with a 16-4 surge led by Ciara Hayes, who finished with a game-high 24 points.
'My kids busted their rear ends the entire year to put themselves in position to compete for a state championship,' Bustamante said. 'We were positive and understood we can ignite at any time in the game. We weren't able to fully ignite and play our game. A lot was due to the opponent we came across.'
One of the silver linings for Doral is that its roster has only two seniors, which gives the Firebirds a strong chance of making a third consecutive run to state.
'We're still a young group and we're gonna learn from it,' Bustamante said. 'We're losing two fantastic seniors and the leadership they provide. But the remaining core is coming back and we fully intend on coming back and getting it right next year.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Yildiz stars as Juventus beat Wydad at Club World Cup
Kenan Yildiz (L) with Randal Kolo Muani after scoring his second goal in a 4-1 win for Juventus against Wydad Casablanca at the Club World Cup (FRANCK FIFE) Kenan Yildiz scored two goals and had a hand in another as Juventus beat Wydad Casablanca 4-1 at the Club World Cup on Sunday to close in on a place in the last 16. The Turkish international forward was unlucky not to be credited with Juve's early opener which went down as an own goal by Abdelmounaim Boutouil. Advertisement However, there was no doubt that Yildiz was the scorer of the second with a tremendous strike from outside the box. Thembinkosi Lorch pulled one back for Wydad before the break, but Yildiz got his second of the afternoon on 69 minutes before a late Dusan Vlahovic penalty sealed the victory for the Italian side. Having already defeated Emirati side Al Ain 5-0 in their opening match, Juve have scored nine goals and have the maximum six points after two outings in Group G. Their qualification for the knockout phase will be assured if group rivals Manchester City avoid defeat against Al Ain later. That puts Igor Tudor's Juve in an excellent position with a final group game to come on Thursday against City in Orlando. Advertisement Moroccan giants Wydad, meanwhile, are eliminated with this defeat following a 2-0 loss at the hands of City in their first outing. Yildiz, the 20-year-old German-born winger, was among the scorers against Al Ain and he was the star of the show here in front of 31,975 fans at Lincoln Financial Field. - Juve unchanged at kick-off - Juve, who finished fourth in Serie A in the campaign just finished, went with an unchanged starting line-up meaning the likes of Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli began the game on the bench. Prolific against Al Ain, they wasted no time in putting the team that finished third in the Moroccan league to the sword. Advertisement The opening goal came on six minutes as Khephren Thuram teed up Yildiz and his shot beat goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid with the aid of a slight deflection off Boutouil. It was 2-0 on 16 minutes via a superb effort, as Andrea Cambiaso went on a piercing run in from the left before laying the ball off for Yildiz to smash in a shot on the half-volley into the top corner. Wydad quickly pulled one back as veteran Nordin Amrabat's fine pass in behind the defence released South African winger Lorch to control and clip a shot past the goalkeeper. Yet Juventus were well on top and Cambiaso hit the post just prior to the hour mark before Randal Kolo Muani somehow failed to turn in Lloyd Kelly's ball across the face of goal. Advertisement Their third goal did arrive just after the midway point in the second half when France forward Kolo Muani collected possession on the left and then slipped in Yildiz who finished into the corner. It was his third goal at the tournament so far, and his 12th in all competitions since the season began. Yildiz had been withdrawn before the fourth goal arrived in stoppage time, substitute Vlahovic stroking in a spot-kick awarded after he had been hauled down by Guilherme Ferreira. as/ea
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Five things to know about new Magic guard Desmond Bane
When introducing Desmond Bane this past week, Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman described him as 'a player you would design if you could start from scratch.' Weltman praised Bane for his impact on and off the court, adding that he 'checks every box' for Orlando. Advertisement And the Magic paid plenty in order to acquire Bane from the Grizzlies. Orlando sent Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and multiple future first-round picks to Memphis. But there's more than meets the eye when it comes to Bane, who averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals during his fifth season in the NBA. Here are five things to know about the newest member of the Magic. 1. Bane can drain 'em The 6-foot-5 guard became the sixth-fastest player in NBA history to reach 500 3-pointers made, according to How did he accomplish such a feat? Bane didn't waste time finding his footing from the beyond the arc once he entered the league. Advertisement He became the third qualified player in league history to shoot at least 43% from 3-point range in each of his first two seasons, joining Stephen Curry and Anthony Morrow. 2. More than a 3-point specialist Weltman has praised Bane's ability as a playmaker and shot creation beyond just his 3-point skillset. In 2023-24, Bane averaged 5.5 assists and dropped off only slightly this past season at 5.3 assists. For perspective, the Magic have only had one player the past two years combined to average above 5 assists on a nightly basis. Paolo Banchero averaged 5.4 two years ago but fell to 4.8 this past season. Advertisement Bane was one of 14 players in the league to average at least 19 points, at least 5 assists and at least 5 rebounds per game and appear in at least 50 contests during the 2024-25 regular season, according to 3. Made mark on Memphis Any player who spends five years with one organization is bound to leave his name in the record books, and that's true for Bane with the Grizzlies. Bane departs as the franchise's all-time leader in free throw percentage (88.3%), third in 3-pointers made (812) and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage (41%), according to Memphis. He holds the Grizzlies' single-season franchise records for 3-pointers made (228 in 2021-22) and free throw percentage (90.3% the same season). 4. Effort goes beyond the court Last October, Bane launched an AAU program in his home state of Indiana that's run by his non-profit organization. Advertisement The team — which is called 'Baneville Academy' — is for 7th- and 8th-grade boys, and it recently captured a Midwest Spring Circuit championship. Bane also wants to get to know Orlando on a local level. 'I want to get out in the community,' he said recently. 'I felt like I did a decent job of that in Memphis, and it changes your perspective on it. You've got to turn this place into home like I want to be able to go out to the grocery store and see people that I know and have genuine relationships with them. 'So they're going to get loyalty [and] honesty from me from the start,' he added about Magic fans. 5. He's a Horned Frog Before Bane was drafted 30th overall in 2020, Bane spent four years at TCU in the Big 12. Advertisement As a senior, he averaged 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists during 36 minutes in 32 games. That year, he was the only player to rank in the top 10 in the Big 12 in points, rebounds and assists. Bane finished his collegiate career ranked third in school history in scoring (1,784 points), third in field goals made (659), first in 3-pointers made (249) and fifth in 3-point percentage (43.3), according to the school. Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@
Miami Herald
12 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Columbus' Moran and Doral's Viruet are the Miami-Dade Overall Coaches of the Year
Both the Columbus boys' basketball team and the Doral Academy softball team shone brightly at a national level seldom, if ever, achieved by a Miami-Dade County team in their respective sports. Columbus' coach Andrew Moran helped build a state championship dynasty, which set a state milestone and achieved something never done in the long and storied history of Dade boys' basketball when they won a national title. And at Doral, Willie Viruet has built one of the most dominant programs in the sport in recent memory and capped this stellar season with a state championship. Moran and Viruet are the Miami Herald's Miami-Dade County Overall Sports Coaches of the Year for the 2024-25 season. Moran is the Boys' Sports Coach of the Year after leading the Explorers to their fourth consecutive state title and their first national championship. Led by their star twins, Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Columbus became only the second team in Miami-Dade County history, joining Miami Norland, to win four consecutive state titles. They took things up a notch after the season when they became the first Dade team to win the prestigious 16th annual Chipotle Nationals, cementing their No. 1 national ranking. They are the first Dade boys' basketball program to secure a national title. Moran, who joined new University of Miami head coach Jai Lucas' staff after the season, led the Explorers to a 138-32 record during his six seasons at Columbus and 109-13 over the past four seasons. Moran, who has won five state titles overall, was also named the Naismith Boys' Basketball National Coach of the Year. 'It's obviously amazing and an incredible feeling,' Columbus coach Andrew Moran said after the Explorers' title-clinching win at Chipotle Nationals. 'It's the cherry on top. These kids won everything they set their minds to win. It was always their mindset and they played their (butts) off. It's an incredible feeling.' Doral Academy had been seeking a similar feeling for years. But despite setbacks at the state final four in recent years, Viruet has kept his team as the best in South Florida and one of the best in the state overall. Viruet is the Coach of the Year for Girls' Sports. This season, the Firebirds finally ended their six-year state title drought, winning their second state title ever and losing only one game all season. Viruet's team, led by University of Texas commit Anabela Abdullah and Clemson signee Sarah Breaux, spent the season ranked among the best in the nation and finished ranked No. 3 in the country by MaxPreps. 'It's been six years since we won a state title. We were long overdue,' Doral coach Willie Viruet said after the state final victory over Santa Rosa Pace. 'The community, the school, well, I think we deserved it.' BOYS' SPORTS FINALISTS ▪ Frankie Ruiz, Belen Jesuit cross-country: The running dynasty for the Wolverines continued to reach new heights as they secured their eighth consecutive state title and once again finished among the top 10 teams in the nation. ▪ Anthony Shahbaz, Riviera Prep basketball: Despite having their top player transfer out in the offseason and having two key players suffer season-ending injuries late in the regular season, Shahbaz steered his team to a historic third consecutive state title in Class 2A. ▪ David Fanshawe, Miami Springs baseball: Fanshawe led the Hawks to a historic first state title for their program and first for their school in any sport since 1988 when they won the Class 3A championship. ▪ Teddy Bridgewater, Northwestern football: Bridgewater returned to his alma mater with a goal of restoring their program to former glory. In one season, the Bulls accomplished their mission winning the Class 3A state championship in dominant fashion. ▪ Katia Garcia, Braddock swimming and diving: Following back-to-back state runner-up finishes, Garcia made sure the Bulldogs didn't settle for anything less than first place, winning their school's first state championship this past fall when they won the Class 4A title. ▪ Brandon Neifeld, Mater Lakes wrestling: After coming close in recent years, Neifeld led the Bears to their first ever state duals title in Class 1A and followed with a dominant performance to capture the 1A title in the individually-bracketed tournament. GIRLS' SPORTS FINALISTS ▪ Gator Rebhan, Somerset Silver Palms softball: Rebhan saw a five-year process culminate with the Stallions first state championship for their program and their school when they secured the Class 3A title. It was Rebhan's third after leading Palmetto to titles in 2000 and 2003. ▪ Julie Doan Kurenuma, Westminster Christian volleyball: After five years of leaving the state tournament with runner-up trophies and medals, Doan Kirenuma and her players finally celebrated a state championship when the Warriors won Class 2A. It was the school's third all-time and first since 2016. ▪ Ochiel Swaby, Miami Country Day basketball: Swaby's Spartans made it a decade of state titles when they won their third in a row and 10th overall, tying them for the most by any South Florida team. ▪ Dylan Hermelee, Carrollton track and field: In a sport often dominated by the larger schools, Hermelee guided the Cyclones to their first state championship. A squad of nine competitors made every point count as they edged Montverde Academy by half a point for the 2A team crown. ▪ Stephasia Doctor, Southridge basketball: Doctor spearheaded one of the most remarkable runs to the state tournament in recent memory by a Dade team when she coached a roster of just seven players within one victory of the school's first state title. ▪ Antonio Boada, Ransom Everglades soccer: After years of contending as one of the county's better programs, Boada's squad took the next step and advanced to the state final four for the first time in program history.
