Jupiter basketball snaps Dwyer home win streak, defeats Panthers for first time since 2019

PALM BEACH GARDENS − Back in August, it was unfathomable that Jupiter would beat Dwyer in football. Then it happened. Heading into Friday night, it was unthinkable that basketball coach Fred Ross and his crew of Panthers would lose on their home court. Especially to Jupiter.

Then it happened.

A game-winning shot in the final seconds of action by Jupiter senior Talan Caudell dealt Dwyer basketball its third loss of the season − and Jupiter coach JD DePasquale a pile-on to remember.

Now in his fourth year at the helm of the program, DePasquale called the 49-48 victory a "milestone win."

"This is our first group of seniors that have come through, freshman, sophomores, juniors, and now seniors − so for us to get this win over at Dwyer I think just sets the standard for where we're trying to be as a program," he said, adding "all the respect" for Jupiter's "biggest rival."

"He came in as a freshman when I got the job and we've had a lot of special moments together − our relationship runs so much deeper than basketball," DePasquale said of Caudell. "He didn't play his best game tonight. He has high standards for himself and I know he was disappointed before the last couple minutes of his performance, but man, he stepped up when we needed him and I was just so happy for him."

The Warriors had just handed the reigning 6A state champion their second defeat this week after a Tuesday road trip to Palm Beach Lakes. It was the program's first time taking down Dwyer since 2019, and it was the Panthers' first time losing a regular season game at home since December of 2021. The following February, Martin County defeated Dwyer on the road in a district championship game during its run to the 2022 6A state championship.

DePasquale said, "To get a win at their place is definitely special."

"I couldn't be prouder of our kids for making the plays tonight and responding through all the adversity and finding a way to win the basketball game. It's a great, great moment for Jupiter's community, great moment for Jupiter High School and just an awesome moment for our basketball program."

Here are three takeaways from the thrilling faceoff:

Greenling gives Jupiter unbeatable edge

The "D-Block" defense Dwyer is known for wasn't going to shut out Jupiter's senior big man Kenny Greenling. Listed at 6-foot-9 on the Warriors' roster, Greenling's reach was too much for Dwyer's tallest bodies in guard Jaelen Nelson and wing Amari Nealy, both seniors topping out at 6-foot-4.

"The transformation he's had has been really remarkable," DePasquale said of Greenling. "He grew two inches and lost about 25 pounds between his junior and senior year and his work ethic has just truly paid off. We have a saying in our program that 'Work works' and he really personifies that."

DePasquale called Greenling a "big reason that we won the game tonight." Not just because he led the Warriors in scoring with 20 points.

"His size around the basket really bothered Dwyer," DePasquale said.

Two points for Greenling in the first period saw Jupiter to an 8-2 lead. A critical steal created an opportunity for another scoring drive, Caudell charging the net for a 15-10 advantage heading into the second quarter.

As the buzzer sounded the close out the third period, Greenling sank a big bucket to edge Jupiter two points ahead. The Warriors built a six-point lead before a nippy Dwyer started chipping away at the fourth period deficit, namely Nelson's three-pointer to tie the scoreboard at 43 before sinking three again for a 46-45 lead with seconds to go.

Then, with 40.2 seconds on the clock, Greenling's layup reclaimed the lead for the Warriors, and gave Jupiter the confidence it needed to put together what would become Caudell's dub-sealing play.

Threes change the game

Nelson's work behind the arc in an effort to make a comeback for the Panthers couldn't go unnoticed. However, the Dwyer top scorer wasn't the only one checking in from downtown.

After netting his first three in the first quarter, Kocha dropped his second three-pointer of the evening to give Jupiter a 19-12 lead a little over two minutes into the second period. Dwyer's first opportunity to take the lead came with 3:22 to halftime, when Nealy delivered a trey for his first of two game-tying shots against the Warriors, setting the scoreboard even at 21.

Enter senior Nikki Rodriguez. Now put three more on the scoreboard for Jupiter.

After Greenling put in two to give the Warriors a four-point lead, with seconds to the halftime buzzer, Jupiter junior captain Ray Ray Collum decided to get a three-pointer of his own. The Panthers headed into the locker room, trailing 29-22.

Where does Jupiter stand as districts approach? What does this mean for Dwyer?

In the Florida High School Athletic Association's latest release of power rankings, the Warriors sit at 13th in their division, ranked No. 49 overall out of 662 listed squads from throughout the Sunshine State.

The bad news: Jupiter finds itself in a stacked Region 2, landing seventh behind Lake Worth and Wellington, rank third and fifth, respectively. Region 2 is led by No. 2 in the state Oak Ridge, the Orlando-based squad rolling along at 18-2 on the season.

The good news: Jupiter is the top dog of District 7, leading Palm Beach Lakes and 2023 champion Centennial, who eliminated the Warriors from postseason contention in district semifinals last February. Plus, a win over Dwyer solidifies that the Warriors are here to hang with the best of the best − and a win over a program ranked No. 14 overall should result in a solid boost for Jupiter.

"Our objective is to get better. We tell our kids that after every day, like no matter the win, no matter the loss, no matter the practice, we don't really work on the result," DePasquale said. "We just want to work on the process, so we tell our kids, 'Just go get better and whatever happens happens.' "

DePasquale admitted he believes that's the reason Jupiter was able to flip the script of its 49-39 loss to the Panthers in December.

Does a solid boost for Jup mean a greater fall for Dwyer? Not necessarily. Although exactly how the rankings are formulated remains unknown, the Panthers' spot at third in Class 6A has been preserved in previous releases by the 14-1 record it had going into the week. With Ls against Lakes and now Jupiter, Dwyer's road to winning Region 4 may look a little longer by next Tuesday's drop.

Should the Panthers remain subject to surprise, a back-to-back district championship could be denied by a gritty Blanche Ely. Fortunately, Dwyer's schedule strength is enough that it should bank a postseason berth as an at-large qualifier, if not automatic. As it stands, the top four for Region 4 consists of St. Thomas Aquinas (16-5), the division No. 1 and No. 10 in Florida, then Dwyer, then a battle-tested Pembroke Pines Charter (17-3) ahead of a softer-scheduled, but successful South Plantation (19-3).

Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter hoops snap Dwyer home win streak, defeat Panthers for first time since 2019