Senior Jeremy Elyzee scored a game-high 22 points to lead three players in double figures as Pembroke Pines Charter jumped out to an early 14-point lead and held off the late charge of Orlando Edgewater 59-55 for the Class 6A boys state basketball title on Saturday night at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Elyzee, a Southeastern Louisiana University signee, added three assists, three rebounds, and a steal as the Jaguars (25-4) won their second state championship. They also were state runner-up in 2020. It also marks the school’s second state championship in any sport.
After the Jaguars seized a 34-22 halftime lead, the state’s top-ranked Class 6A team Orlando Edgewater (23-8) closed the gap in the third, outscoring Pembroke Pines Charter 17-8 to enter the fourth period trailing the Jaguars 42-39.
“We were not anxious at all,” Elyzee said by phone. “We knew we were the better team. We just had to do the little things. This was a big win, and I can go to college as a state champ.”
“Basketball is a game of three runs,” Pembroke Pines Charter coach Dave Roca said by phone. “That team is too good to lay down and not make a push. They are a talented group of players. I told our guys heading into the fourth quarter to push back and we did. Ramez (Zayed) had those three consecutive steals midway through the fourth and we held on.”
“This is a huge deal,” Roca continued. “They did it organically. It was great to see them put the team first and I didn’t have to joystick them. This is special.”
University of North Florida signee Joshua Harris finished with a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“My team was able to push the ball and finish at the rim well,” Harris said by phone. “We (also) shot the ball well. Winning this means the whole entire world to me.”
Thomas also said he wasn’t concerned when the Eagles made their third-quarter run to pull within three. Zayed, a senior guard, finished with six points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Zayed also had the aforementioned three straight steals in the fourth quarter, two of which lead to points to push the state’s second-ranked Class 6A Jaguars to a seven-point cushion with 5:47 remaining. Senior guard Solomon Hughes chipped in with 12 points as the Jaguars finished with a 45.5 shooting percentage and held the Eagles to just 36.5%.
“We just talked about being mentally tough and not letting anything get to your head and taking better care of the basketball,” he added. We were not worried. We worked for this, so we knew how to close it out.”
Pembroke Pines outscored Orlando 32-25 in the paint and 16-7 on fast breaks. Orlando Edgewater had a huge advantage on second-chance points, outscoring Pembroke Pines Charter 22-2, thanks in part to a 19-11 advantage on the offensive glass.
Thomas also talked of the team’s closeness.
“The brotherhood we had was extremely close,” Thomas concluded. “We were one tight family on the court and off the court. We were all brothers and best friends.”
Orlando Edgewater saw its six-game winning streak come to an end. Sophomore wing Donovan Williams Jr. led the Eagles with 17 points, while junior Miles Mayfield added 10, going a combined 11 for 29 from the field. Pembroke Pines Charter ended the season on a seven-game winning streak following a 71-62 loss to Coral Springs.
Elyzee and his teammates were enjoying the bus ride back late Saturday to the Pembroke Pines Charter School gymnasium where one banner already hangs.
“The celebration is great,” he exclaimed. “We are all extremely happy that we won. To be honest, I don’t even know how we bonded together so closely, but that definitely shows during the game we all trust each other.”