Boys basketball rallies past Winter Springs on Senior Night

Justin Baronoff, Staff Reporter|January 31, 2016

photo by Jake Arthur

Forward Denzel Mahoney shoots a mid-range jump shot against Winter Springs. He scored nine points off of two point field goals to lead the team to a 67-56 win.

Over the past three seasons, the boys varsity basketball team won each regular season finale. This trend continued when the team beat Winter Springs High School 67-56 on Friday, Jan. 29 with forward Denzel Mahoney leading the way with 23 points and guard Alex Keel not far behind with 19 points. Guard Grant Greene, who scored eight points, also contributed to the win, including a pair of mid-range jump shots and a three pointer to extend the lead in the fourth quarter.

“It felt good to get the win,” Keel said. “We have good momentum going into the playoffs and it’s always nice getting a win in front of the home crowd.”

Before the game tipped off, the school honored seniors Matthew Whipple, Keel and Mahoney for senior night. In early October, Keel and Mahoney both announced that they would continue playing basketball at the college level, Keel at Union University in Tennessee and Mahoney at Southeast Missouri State. This was Mahoney’s third game back after being sidelined for most of the season with a torn ACL he suffered this past summer.

“I honestly treated the game like a normal game,” Mahoney said. “However, it felt good to win with my friends and family in the stands.”

Earlier this season, the team had lost their first matchup with Winter Springs on Dec. 11, but for head coach Josh Kohn, that did not seem to matter.

“We entered the game with a lot of confidence,” Kohn said. “They could have won the last ten games and it wouldn’t have affected the team’s play.”

Mahoney was not the only player returning from a torn ACL injury. Guard Danny Garrett made his varsity debut Tuesday, Jan. 26 in the 62-41 loss against Lake Brantley. Garrett then entered the Winter Springs game in the final minute of regulation.

“It felt good to get back on a court this week and play with these guys,” Garrett said. “I can only play for short minutes at a time, but whatever coach needs me to do, I’ll do.”

The team finished 15-10 overall this regular season and will play Lake Nona in the 7A district quarterfinals next week.

“We had a lot of young players make an impact this season,” Kohn said. “Having Denzel and Danny back in uniform has really lifted our team’s confidence entering the playoffs.”

 

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