Two of the best in the SIAA met up last night in Orlando as DME Academy headed down I-4 from Daytona to take on West Oaks Academy.  Both teams will challenge for, not only SIAA honors, but national rankings and recognition as well.

DME got on the board first with a pair of free throws 6’3 senior Mikel Brown.  West Oaks answered with a mid-range jumper from 6’4 junior Willie Burnett.  Those opening salvos were a foreshadowing of things to come.  The teams battled back and forth and midway through the opening period, DME held the slimmest of 10-9 leads.  At that point, West Oaks created some breathing room, taking a 16-12 lead.  It didn’t last long, as DME put together a run, culminating in three free throws from 6’0 junior Nathan Kirk to take a 19-18 lead with just a few seconds left in the quarter.  That was all West Oaks needed as Marcis Ponder, a 7’0 junior, slammed home a teammate’s miss to give West Oaks a 20-19 lead after one.

The second quarter slowed down a bit as both teams settled in at the defensive end.  The lead changed hands several times and with one minute to go in the period, it was all tied up at 32-32.  DME was able to squeeze in a bucket before the horn and led by just two, 34-32.

The intensity stayed at a high level in the third quarter.  With just under five minutes to play in the period, the score was tied at 43-43.  West Oaks then went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by a couple of threes from Burnett.  Brown finally stopped the bleeding for DME with a free throw but the hole had been dug.  With one quarter left to play, it looked like West Oaks had a commanding lead, 62=49.

Then the fireworks started.

Brown opened the final period with a three for DME.  Burnett answered in kind.  A “mano y mano” duel erupted between the two players as each one challenged the other to make another shot.  In two minutes, DME had cut the margin down to seven at 68-61, forcing a West Oaks timeout.  West Oaks scored out of the break, but DME hit back-to-back threes to get to within three 70-67 with 6:15 to play.  At that point Burnett dropped in a pair of triples of his own, to push the West Oaks lead back to nine at 76-67. DME didn’t stop.  A two pointer from Eishua Nauto and a three from Matas Buteliauskas brought DME back to within 76-72 with 3:30 left in the game.  West Oaks responded with a bucket, but Brown connected on four straight free throws, two after being fouled on a drive and then another two after a technical.  All of a sudden, it is a two-point game, 78-76, with 1:55 left to play.  After an empty possession for each team, Burnett of West Oaks drove to the basket, scored and was fouled.  He converted the three-point play to make the score 81-76 with thirty-three seconds left.  DME scored but was now forced to foul to get the ball back.  West Oaks converted all of its opportunities to win by a final score of 85-78.

Brown led DME with 36 points, hitting seven three pointers in the process.  Many were from NBA range and none came without contest from a West Oaks defender.  He was also 13-14 from the foul line.  His three straight made threes to open the fourth quarter got DME back in the game and got both teams juiced for an exciting finish.

Burnett had an outing for the ages, finishing with 44 points.  He rang up nine three-point makes, many created himself off the dribble.  Burnett hit a couple of mid-range shots and drives to keep the DME defenders honest but by and large it was a “Curry-esque” display of long range bombing.

DME got 12 points from 6’5 wing Trey Simpson while West Oaks’ Paulo Bola tossed in 15 points.