High School

Weston Sagemont repeats as Class 2A state champions

Sagemont tops Orlando Christian Prep for the second time in three years

Bill Kemp

Weston Sagemont repeats as Class 2A state champions
Weston Sagemont repeats as Class 2A state champions /

LAKELAND – Two out of three seems to fit Weston Sagemont just fine.

Sagemont won its second consecutive Class 2A boys basketball state championship Thursday, taking down Orlando Christian Prep 50-47. It was the third consecutive season the two teams met for the 2A state title, with OCP winning the first encounter.

“I’m hoping next year is the sweetest,” Sagemont head coach David Roe said. “These two titles are different. The two teams have a completely different makeup. Both were enjoyable and I am just proud that the seniors got to do it.”

Sagemont basketball players celebrate after winning their second consecutive Class 2A state championship on Thursday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Sagemont basketball players celebrate after winning their second consecutive Class 2A state championship on Thursday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland / Bill Kemp

Roe said the strategy entering the game was not to try and duplicate OCP, but rather "respond to their punches with toughness."

“We knew they wanted to get back at us. So for us, the strategy was toughness.” Roe said. “Points were not going to win this game. It was who was going to keep them out of the paint and protect the rim, and that was our focus.”

Sagemont (25-6) was led by Kevin Thomas, who transferred from Stoneman Douglas this year, with 19 points. Jordyn Kee scored 16 and Patrick Liburd 10 to round out the Sagemont offensive attack which knocked down 11 3-point shots in the game.

“This team played hard and worked hard every single practice,” Thomas said.“The key to this team is defense and our mentality to win.”

OCP (25-5) was led by Isiah Brown with 15 points and Darius Washington with 11. OCP won the rebounding edge, 30-28, in a nip-and-tuck battle.

“It’s been a great three years,” Roe said. “

OCP has won 10 state titles since 2008 but lost the state title game to Sagemont last year, 67-66, ending its bid for a three-peat.

Sagemont advanced after beating Jacksonville Impact Christian Academy 59-45 and OCP advanced after topping Tampa SLAM 76-55

Sagemont basketball players gather around their trophy after winning their second consecutive Class 2A state championship on Thursday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Sagemont basketball players gather around their trophy after winning their second consecutive Class 2A state championship on Thursday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland / Bill Kemp
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Bill Kemp
BILL KEMP

Bill Kemp is an award-winning sports journalist at the state and national levels. Over the course of 25 years, he’s covered more than 4,000 sporting events including the NFL regular season, playoffs and Super Bowls, Major League Baseball regular season and spring training, NASCAR racing at Daytona and Talladega International Speedways and major college football regular seasons and bowl games. He was named by the Associated Press Sports Editors as a Top 10 sports columnist and Top 3 by the Alabama Press Association for best sports column and sports page design. He has served as preps editor at the Lakeland Ledger as well as sports editor at five different newspapers in Florida and Alabama. He has been published in dozens of newspapers including USA Today, the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, the Jacksonville Times Union and the Tampa Bay Times. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida. He has been writing for SBLive Sports since 2022.

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