Varsity Weekly: Winter Park’s U.S. coach of the year, high school basketball and NBA

Edgewater got off to a 5-0 boys basketball start under new coach Jon Mason by winning last week’s Rotary Tip-Off Classic for the ninth time.

That’s the record for championships won in the tournament’s 47-year history.

Myles Mayfield, a 6-foot-7 junior, scored 30 points in the Eagles 53-44 victory over Dr. Phillips (3-1) in Saturday night’s championship game.

That came after Edgewater edged Kissimmee Osceola 60-59 in a quarterfinal and host Winter Park 60-54 in an overtime semifinal.

“Our guys three days in a row came together,“ Moore said.

Moore replaced Edgewater alum Jason Atherton, who left coaching (and teaching) after a nine year run (156-93) that included five district titles, a state runner-up finish in 2017, and state semifinal showing in 2015.

The Eagles were ranked No. 3 in Class 6A by MaxPreps heading into a game at Apopka on Wednesday night. Edgewater hosts Jones on Thursday and plays Impact Christian of Jacksonville, a 2018 and 2020 state runner-up, in Saturday’s Orlando Health Hoopfest event at Windermere Prep.

Sixth-year Windermere Prep (2-1) coach Brian Hoff can earn his 100th win when the Lakers host The First Academy in a Friday night game. He’s 99-44 coming off a 3A final four season.

Herly Brutus, a 6-6 sophomore, had a triple-double with 12 points, 12 assists, and 11 rebounds for Umatilla in an 89-57 season opening victory vs. East Ridge.

East River, which hasn’t enjoyed a winning season since 2011-12, is 5-0 going into a Thursday home game vs. Dr. Phillips (3-2).

Orlando Christian Prep (4-0) dealt Harmony (3-1) its first loss, 54-39.

Olympia (4-1) edged Osceola 49-47. The Titans host Rockledge on Friday.

Hagerty traveled with a 3-0 record to Port Orange Atlantic Tuesday night to no avail. The refs no-showed.

Saturday showcases

Here are the matchups for two Saturday boys basketball events (with preseason rankings from SourceHoops.com):

ORLANDO HEALTH HOOPFEST

At Windermere Prep

Cypress Creek vs. Bishop Kenny, noon

4A No. 10 Eustis vs. Sarasota High, 1:30

Lake Highland Prep vs. Santa Fe Catholic, 3

6A No. 4 Edgewater vs. Impact Christian, 4:30

7A No. 6 Windermere High vs. 2A No. 5 Victory Christian, 6

3A No. 3 Windermere Prep vs. 4A No. 6 Villages, 7:30

HOOPS WITH A HEART

At Oviedo High School

The First Academy vs. West Orange, 1 p.m.

CFCA vs. Lake Brantley, 2:30

Seminole vs. Master’s Academy, 4

Seabreeze vs. Bishop Moore, 5:30

Apopka vs. Oviedo, 7

Girls basketball

Defending state champions Lake Highland Prep (5-1) and Dr. Phillips (4-1) are again the area’s top FHSAA title contenders per MaxPreps computer rankings.

Both lost early this season vs. opponents independent of the Florida High School Athletic Association.

No. 7 Lake Highland, the 4A winner the past four seasons, fell 62-55 vs. No. 3 Montverde Academy (5-0). The Highlanders host Lake Mary (4-1) Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

No. 12 DP, the back-to-back 7A champion, returned four starters from last year’s team, including Georgia signee Trinity Turner.

The Panthers lost 55-49 in overtime vs. No. 1 DME Academy (8-0) of Daytona Beach.

Defending state champ is Orlando area girls basketball player of the year

No. 14 Colonial (6-1), a 7A state semifinalist the past two years, plays in Washington D.C. this weekend beginning Thursday vs. Our Lady of Good Counsel (2-1), the No. 7 team in Maryland.

The Grenadiers play Concord Cannon (6-0) on Friday and Maryland state champ Pikesville (0-0) on Saturday. Cannon ranks No. 2 in North Carolina.

Soccer champs

West Orange’s Cristina Roque, Montverde’s Jody Brown and Oviedo’s Kaitlyn Zipay won an NCAA women’s soccer national championship with Florida State on Monday.

Brown netted two goals during a 5-1 win vs. Stanford as the Seminoles finished with a 22-0-1 record. Brown, the 2019 Sentinel Varsity girls soccer player of the year, finished with seven goals and five assists in 18 starts.

Roque recorded 14 shutouts and allowed just 14 goals at goalkeeper.

Zipay tallied four goals and two assists as a reserve midfielder.

All Star time

Cure Bowl football All-Star games kick off with the Lake vs Osceola game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at East Ridge.

The Orange County game is set for Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. at Showalter Field in Winter Park.

Senior standouts from Seminole, Volusia and Flagler schools will play, Thursday, Dec 14, at 7 at The Master’s Academy in Oviedo.

NBA notices

National No. 1 Montverde Academy (7-0) and last season’s final No. 1, Link Academy (7-1) of Branson, Missouri, will match up in a Friday night ESPNU TV game (11 p.m. Eastern time) at T-Mobile Arena that will have NBA scouts and players in the building.

The game is sandwiched in between Thursday semifinals and Saturday final of the NBA In-Season Tournament at the arena.

Montverde has crushed opponents by an average score of 89-55 to date.

Link, last season’s national champion, lost 77-76 to Prolific Prep (10-1) of California on Saturday.

Evans High held a dedication ceremony last week for legendary boys basketball coach Fred Pennington.

The school gym was fondly known as the “Snake Pit” by fans when the Trojans were a powerhouse in the ‘60s and 70’s under Pennington, who died in 2020.

He compiled a 340-79 record with a 1967-68 state runner-up finish and fabled 1974-75 state championship squad led by Darryl Dawkins — the first player to be drafted directly out of high school to the NBA.

U.S. coach of the year

Winter Park’s Stephanie Gibson was one of two girls volleyball coaches named this week as national coaches of the year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Gibson has racked up an 843-237 record across 35 seasons as the fourth winningest coach in Florida history. That includes a 514-195 mark and four state championships in 24 seasons at Winter Park. The Wildcats were 29-3 Class 7A state runners-up this year.

She shares the honor with 30-year Venice coach Brian Wheatley, who recorded his 700th career win this season. They are the first Florida coaches on the AVCA list, which dates to 2008.

Wrestling report

Lake Highland Prep scored 183 points to win Saturday’s Clash of the Titans tournament ahead of Winter Springs (177) and Kissimmee Osceola (156) at Orange City University.

Winter Park won the Gauntlet on the Grove tournament at Horizon High School.

Maya Alvarado (Lake Highland Prep), Paola Ramirez (Osceola) and Isabella Toloentino (East River) were the three Orlando area girls who won weight class titles in the Lady Clash girls tournament.

Osceola hosts the Danny Byron tournament Friday and Saturday in a busy weekend for wrestling.

State honors

Repeat Class 1A girls golf state champ Mi Li of The First Academy was also named Florida Dairy Farmers girls golf player of the year for the second time.

Lake Mary coach Dennis Burchill, whose team won the program’s tenth state title and third in a row was named girls golf coach of the year.

Lake Highland Prep’s seventh grade state champion, Annabella Tomasic, is the Miss Cross Country runner of the year. That was expected after she ran the fastest girls time at the state meet.

Winter Park senior Fallon Stewart is one of seven finalists for the Miss Volleyball award. She was voted 7A Player of the Year.

Windermere High junior Ryan Erisman is the 4A boys swimmer of the year.

Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings caxxn be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.