Coach Ian Young’s second season at the helm of Oviedo’s Boys Basketball team came with high expectations after ending the 23-24 season ranked 24th in all of Florida. What seemed like a nice warm-up game versus 155th-ranked Central Florida Christian Academy, ended as a 3-point Oviedo loss. An uncharacteristic result for a team that ended with only 5 losses last season.
Just 4 days after their first matchup, Oviedo traveled to Oak Ridge, the 4th ranked team in all of Florida with multiple Division 1 commits like point guard Jalen Reece who committed to LSU, and a top 40 recruit in Jamir Jones with 16 Division 1 offers. Though Oviedo kept it within 10 points until the 4th quarter, Oak Ridge proved too tall a task, defeating the Lions 73-57.
Oviedo’s only returning starter from last year, 6’6” senior Cameron Bryant put up 25 points on 67% from the field continuing his strong senior season. Bryant leads Oviedo in points and rebounds but the transition to a star role has not been easy for Lincoln Memorial commit.
“It’s been difficult because we had a bunch of leaders last year, but I’ve been trying to lead by example,” said Bryant.
The first conference matchup for Oviedo came against Lake Mary, on December 4th. The Rams came into this matchup with 3 wins and 1 overtime loss, and their strong record combined with the home court, and Oviedo’s rocky start set the Lions up for another loss. To many’s surprise, the Lions gained their first victory 65-48.
Lions senior wing Domonic Tejada scored a total of 4 points in his first 2 games, continuing his offensive struggles from last year when he averaged only 3.3 points per game. Despite these poor performances, Tejada came into Lake Mary and dropped 11 points on 83% from the field, but this was no breakout game for the 6’2” starter.
“My season started slow in the first two games but it’s only up from here,” said Tejada. “I’m not taking any games off or plays off.”
His performance along with Cameron Bryant’s 20 points and junior Ethan Diaz’s 14 points, accounted for over 60% of Oviedo’s total points in their win over Lake Mary.
On Friday, December 6th, Oviedo hosted their cross-town rivals, the Hagerty Huskies, in the game most Oviedo residents highlight on their calendars. This time last year, Oviedo won the matchup 79-56, but with the Lion’s top 5 scorers from that game having graduated, and Hagerty’s 3-game win streak, the Lion’s mindset could play a big factor in this game.
“We take it seriously, you gotta take every game seriously,” said Tedeja. Bryant disagreed, “To be honest, this should be a breeze,” said Bryant.
While Oviedo led by three at halftime, Hagerty stormed back putting up 19 points in the 3rd quarter, commanded by Kansas Wesleyan commit Issac Lopez who ended the game with 17 points and five boards. Oviedo was able to rally with 23 points scored in the 4th to win a close game 55-50.
Their Final game of the week came at Oak Ridge HS for a matchup against Blake High School, ranked 6th in the state with multiple top 70-ranked players in their classes. Oviedo came out swinging and led 16-11 going into the 2nd quarter. Unfortunately for the Lions, Blake scored 55 points in 3 quarters to win 66-47. Blake’s 4 star, Joe Philon put up 29 points and 11 rebounds en route to their victory.
Next week Oviedo’s rigorous schedule continues with a 6-0 East River on Monday.
“We’re gonna keep working, getting better every day… Come out with a lot of wins,” said Tejada.
