No. 1-ranked Jesuit completed the dream season in style, shooting 60 percent on 3-pointers en route to a 79-58 win over Planation American Heritage for the Class 5A state championship Saturday at the Lakeland Center.
The Blue Tide, decked in all-white, set the tone, filling the seats behind the Jesuit bench long before tip-off and establishing a rollicking backdrop to the action.
Jesuit (31-1) led throughout the first half and trailed only for a few moments in the middle of the third quarter. The Tigers erupted from there, allowing coach Neal Goldman, in his 26th season as head coach at Jesuit, time to substitute in the final minute as the Jesuit faithful launched the celebration.
Joey Galvis ’13 was named MVP, finishing with 15 points, 4 blocks, 3 steals and 3 assists. Travis Johnson ’13 had 14 points and 8 rebounds; Devin Harris ’13 had 13 points and 8 rebounds; and Jack Fleming ’13 had a game-high 20 points, making 6-of-9 3-point attempts and dishing out 5 assists, which matched J.J. Weir '13 for the game-high. Isaiah Omoregie ’14 came off the bench to score 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
It is the first state title at Jesuit since cross country in 2006, and the first in basketball since 1984. The Tigers also won a basketball state title in 1950.
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