The Zephyrhills High boys basketball team’s historic season has come to an end.
After reaching the state tournament for the first time in 50 years, the Bulldogs fell to the Poinciana (Kissimmee) High Eagles 70-52 in the Class 5A state semifinals at The Lakeland Center on Feb. 25.
Zephyrhills (26-5) shot just 36 percent from the field, including a porous 1-for-15 mark on three-point attempts.
(Courtesy of Zephyrhills High School)
Bulldogs head coach Alan Reed said his team was overmatched by the Eagles’ lethal combination of physicality and quickness.
“Their defense took us out of what we were trying to do,” he said. “We got some shots, but we didn’t get real good shots. The game was a very physical game…I had no problem with that; it’s just we didn’t respond to it offensively.”
At halftime, the Bulldogs trailed 33-16, before “playing even” with the Eagles (25-5) in the second half.
“We played them head-to-head…in the second half, but we created that (deficit) in the first half…and we weren’t able to gain ground,” the Reed said.
“We’ve been facing deficits like that all year, but we haven’t faced a team of that caliber all year to overcome the deficit.”
Coming into the season, Reed felt his team had a chance to have a very successful season, especially since the roster featured a bevy of seniors, including leading scorer Jeremy Oppenheimer (22.5 points per game.)
Reed noted Oppenheimer’s improved defensive awareness—understanding passing lanes—as a catalyst for the team’s deep playoff run.
“Jeremy’s a very good player, and he was a very good on-court presence,” Reed said “He scored a lot of points, but a lot of times he distributed the ball. He led us in steals (4.9) and also led us in rebounds (8.2).”
The team’s “unselfishness” was another factor in the Bulldogs advancing to the state tourney.
“We really, for the most part, played together as a team, played together as a unit, and I thought that was one of the biggest things for us,” Reed explained. “Each person performed to their abilities and didn’t try to do things they weren’t really good at when the lights were turned on.
“We had a couple of kids that were very good defensive players and rebounders, and that’s what they did.”
Reed, 68, hasn’t made a decision if he’s going to coach the team next year.
Seven players expect to return.
“All of them played some, and all are capable of stepping up,” Reed said. “The biggest thing is replacing Jeremy’s scoring ability. That’s going to be tough.”
Published March 2, 2016
