The Oviedo Boys’ Basketball team entered winter break one game above .500, with high expectations yet to be met. However, Oviedo’s six games through this winter break allowed Head Coach Ian Young and his squad to perform well against high-level talent and prove a dominant force.

“Going into the break we knew we had to fix our issue with energy and confidence,” said 6 ‘7 senior Osagie Otote. “Bringing that up would be the key to going on a run”.

Oviedo’s first test occurred in back-to-back matches against top 70 team Univeristy Christian. The first game ended as a 45-42 victory on Friday 12/20, a performance that brought the Lions to a 3-game win streak. Unfortunately for Oviedo, this momentum didn’t bring the team to a win the next day, as they lost 53-47 versus Impact Christian Academy on Saturday 12/21. Just a week later came another back-to-back slate, along with another 1-1 result for the team as they defeated Cypress Creek, 63-44 on Friday 12/27, and Lost to Osceola, 60-45 on Saturday 12/28.

“Back-to-back games take a big toll on your body,” said Otote. “Being consistent can be a struggle in doubleheaders,” said Junior Point Guard Terell James.

Oviedo started the new year with a stretch of home games that included a win in a 56-54 thriller versus Masters Academy on Thursday 1/2, and a 63-56 win on Saturday 1/4 versus Westminster, a team that traveled from Georgia.

“It felt nice to get back to those home games, home rims, home crowds. Said Senior Captain Cameron Bryant, “It honestly just felt like a relief”.

Oviedo took 4 wins and only 2 losses over break improving their record to 9-6, showing an improvement of play against talented opponents, but a lingering issue with top-tear opponents and a tendency to keep every game close still mulled over the squad.

“At the beginning of the season, we were lacking, but during the break, we were waking up. Finding out that it’s not that easy,” said James.

Their first game after break came on Monday 1/6 versus The First Academy (TFA). The Royals came into this matchup at 8-2, ranked 126th in Florida compared to Oviedo’s 76th. TFA’s 2nd and 3rd leading scorers are freshmen, and they are led by junior shooting guard, Max Simmons who leads the team with 12.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

“We knew TFA would compete and they were gonna have some dogs on the court,” said Otote. “Coach Young prepared us for their great shooters and good guards”.

Oviedo came out hot in this game, jumping to a 12-6 lead nearing the 2nd quarter in what looked like a game that would be dominated by the Lions. However, similar to games of the past, the teams took their foot off the gas and allowed TFA’s talented guards and vibrant away crowd to shift the momentum and hit multiple big 3-pointers going into halftime.

“Once we got to the locker room we started talking about what we needed to fix to do better and how to get and expand a big lead on them,” said Bryant. “Energy was down but we tried to bring it back up to go out and win,” said James.

Oviedo exited the locker room and scored a quick bucket, but TFA’s momentum carried over and they were able to go shot for shot in an offensive showdown and keep the score close all the way to the last 45 seconds of the game where the score sat at a tied game: 46-46.

Oviedo’s 6 ‘0 Terell James held the ball and drove up the baseline then took a hard hit in his layup attempt. An obvious whistle was called, but the Oviedo’s students’ cheers turned to disappointed sighs as the ref signaled for an offensive foul on James and The First Academy gained possession. With Oviedo’s shock over the call leaving the defense in a daze, TFA’s offense went up the court quickly and their captain Max Simmons, drained a contested 3 at the top of the key and silenced the Lions fans. The game fizzled out over the final 30 seconds, ending as a 52-49 win for the Royals.

“We definitely can’t treat this like any other loss, but we can’t dwell on it” Said Otote, “We are gonna come back hot and use this loss as fuel.”

Even though the loss came from a controversial call and a very tough shot, the Lions record was still brought to 9-7, only 2 games above .500. While this is an improvement from the start of the break, it’s not what this roster had in mind.

“This year has just felt a little bleak, we shouldn’t have that record,” said Bryant “But I believe we are gonna win these 9 regular season games and get that momentum going into the playoffs.”

Oviedo’s talent and coaching have made them a tough outing for any squad, but the lingering issue that’s haunted this team the whole season remains. Their tendency to keep games close and their struggles against top talent could prevent them from the state-run they strive for.

Tonight, January 8th, The Lions face an 11-5 Lake Brantley that’s ranked 133th in the state. While a win tonight wouldn’t be the defining win for this team, a dominating victory could set a precedent for how Oviedo should perform against lower tier competition.