Eagles Landing Middle School boys’ basketball coach Ralph Deus set a goal at the beginning of the year to reach the postseason.
They exceeded those expectations by going all of the way to the championship game where they led for most of the way before a late comeback by visiting Bear Lakes gave the Bruins the Palm Beach Middle School title, 46-38.
Eagles Landing had won four straight games to close out the regular season and reach the playoffs and then three straight before the loss to Bear Lakes.
“We came off a loss against Don Estridge and were 3-3,” Deus said. “If we lost one more game we wouldn’t make it in the playoffs. I said, ‘this is your opportunity.’ They really worked hard and when they got on the floor, they played all out and trusted in one another.
Eagles Landing led in the final most of the way as they took an 11-point lead into the fourth.
“The goal in the beginning was to make it to the final,” Deus said. “I thought we would make it to the playoffs. Our goal is to make another run next year. We have some key core kids coming back. The administration and the parents were so supportive this season and everyone was so unselfish.”
They also had the son of former professional player Lisa Leslie on the squad and Deus said Michael Lockwood, a sixth-grader, has a bright future.
The Eagles were led by eighth-grader Harrison Cohen, who averaged a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) all year and fellow eighth-grader Landon Szmiga averaged 8 points and five assists a game.
It was the first Palm Beach County Middle School boys’ basketball championship for Bear Lakes in the school’s history.
Bear Lakes boys’ basketball coach Logan Wilson said he believed his team had a shot at winning the county title from the start of the season. It was his first year at the school. He previously coached at Congress Middle.
“I saw the work ethic and the hunger,” said Wilson, whose team finished the season 10-1. It’s only loss came against Watkins Middle during the season. “A lot of the kids were excited and I saw something different. I did my part as a coach.
“I think one of the biggest accomplishments was that everybody counted us out,” Wilson said. “We trailed from the beginning of the game to the four minute mark of the third.”
Bear Lakes Middle School eighth-grader Anthony Gatlin led the team with 13 points. Six different scorers contributed 4 or more points to the cause.
Wilson said he was impressed with the starting group of eighth-graders including Gatlin, Quinton Nesbitt, Kyrie McKelton, Elijah Phillips and Anton Perry.
“We had a lot of happy times this year,” he said. “There was a cohesiveness and a brotherhood. That is a huge thing. A mark has been put on the program.”
