Dr. Phillips basketball beats Dwyer for first state title

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Dr. Phillips juniors Denzel Aberdeen, Riley Kugel and Ernest Udeh Jr. have another year of high school to go, but they made sure Panthers boys basketball didn’t have to wait on the future to celebrate a long-sought state championship.

Aberdeen poured in 27 points, Kugel scored 14 and 6-foot-10 Udeh grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked six shots as DP won 54-46 against Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer on Saturday night at the RP Funding Center.

The Panthers finished 24-3 with 12 consecutive wins. Things did get a bit scary at the end for a program that made its seventh state tournament appearance and finally won the big prize.

DP led 32-20 after a shot by Aberdeen rolled off the rim but into the hands of Udeh, who dunked the rebound two minutes into the second quarter. Dwyer steadily chipped away at that deficit and got to within 41-40 with 5:08 to go in the game.

But the Panthers held Dwyer (14-4) to one basket over the next four minutes and preserved the precious victory.

Aberdeen, who did most of his damage on dribble drives into the lane, knocked down a step-back 3-point shot to make it 44-40. On the next trip downcourt, he attacked the paint but surprised the defense by flicking a look-away lob pass to Udeh, who rose high above the rim to catch the ball and drop it in for a 46-42 advantage.

DP beat Dwyer’s press to get a layup by senior Ledger Hatch for a 51-44 margin in the final minute.

DP was ranked No. 2 in 7A behind Orlando rival Oak Ridge heading into the playoffs. The Panthers ousted the Pioneers with a 56-44 semifinal victory Friday afternoon.