With his savvy ballhandling and array of acrobatic scoring moves, Dr. Phillips point guard Josiah “Jo Jo” Gillard is a tough player to stop.
But a scary health problem did put the brakes on his sophomore season for more than two weeks.
In the process of his mandatory preseason physical, Gillard was diagnosed with Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome, a congenital heart condition that leads to spells of accelerated heartbeats. After playing in DP’s first three games of the season, Gillard underwent a procedure that he said assures he won’t have the risk of cardiac arrest.
He returned to the court for a hard-fought 65-61 loss to Oak Ridge on Tuesday night and then led the Panthers (5-4) to a hotly contested 53-50 win against The First Academy (7-2) on Friday night. Gillard scored a game-high 17 points and made crucial foul shots in the final seconds.
“It’s all good now,” Gillard said after the victory. “I didn’t want to have to worry about it. That’s why I wanted to go ahead with the procedure.”
Senior brother Isaiah Gillard added 11 points and Malachi Baker contributed 8 points and 7 rebounds in the victory for a team that has lost three games by four points or less.
“We moved the ball better tonight,” Jo Jo said. “It was a straight team win.”
TFA has a young lineup wrapped around hardnosed senior guard Max Simmons. But the Royals never stopped competing and they overcame DP’s 11-point second quarter lead to make a game of it. Cory McPherson, a tough junior guard, battled Jo Jo Gilliard all game and led TFA with 15 points. LJ Bacon, a sophomore, scored 12 points and Simmons had 11 in the loss.
McPherson rebounded his own miss and scored for a short-lived 41-40 lead with 6:19 to go in the game.
DP senior London Hatch knocked down a step-back 3-point shot to regain the lead and the Panthers were able to win the final two minutes.
“I loved our resolve tonight. They stayed together,” said DP coach Ben Witherspoon.
Hatch and Isaiah Gillard both signed with Florida Tech last week.
Second-year TFA coach Tarrik Mabon said his team has the skills and athleticism to make a state playoff run but must mature to win the tight games. The Royals’ previous loss was 58-55 to Central Florida Christian Academy.
Coverage by Buddy Collings
Olympia vs. DP basketball rivalry; Oviedo XC wants state title and more | Varsity Weekly
Olympia edges Windermere
With opposing coaches labeling each other as a best friend, Friday’s Olympia-vs.-Windermere rivalry game went down to the wire.
With four seconds left, Windermere coach Mark Griseck (who coached at Olympia from 2007 to 2014) called a play for Lucas Boyd to make a spin move on the baseline and go hard to the hoop.
Boyd did just that, but his dunk attempt rimmed out to allow the Titans to hang on for a 50-49 road win.
“[Boyd] made a quick move and we wanted him to go strong and dunk instead of a layup with their shot blockers,” Griseck said. “It was the right play and it just didn’t fall.”
It would have culminated a fourth-quarter comeback for the Wolverines (4-4), who trailed by 11 early in the period.
Olympia (8-1) built its double-digit lead in the third quarter with patience, defense and ball security. The Titans had no turnovers in the period while holding the Wolverines to just four points.
The game turned around when the Titans committed five turnovers and scored just seven points.
“The good news is these games are on film, so the guys will get to see the bonehead plays and correct them before we play in the City of Palms tournament [Dec. 21-22 in Fort Myers],” said Titans coach Justin Shipp. “We should have lost this game. We need to be much better.”
Shipp spent two years as an assistant for Griseck before landing the Olympia job last year.
“He’s my best friend and mentor,” Shipp said of Griseck, who returned the praise.
“It’s so much fun to compete against them. I have so much respect for [Shipp] and the job he’s done,” Griseck said.
Kevin Edou led the Titans with 14 points and seven rebounds. James Nowells added 10 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Bishop Wenze contributed nine points, nine rebounds and two blocks.
Ben Bunnell led Windermere with 22 points and 16 rebounds for his third straight double-double. Boyd finished with 10 points, four rebounds and three steals.
Coverage by Steve Gorches
Hagerty’s Aaron Slaney (23) scores past Oviedo guard Carter Oden (2) on Friday night at Oviedo High. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Oviedo tops Hagerty
Oviedo went small to start the third quarter, amped up the pressure defense, and turned a two-point halftime lead into a double-figure advantage as it coasted to an 81-65 homecourt victory against Hagerty in one of Central Florida’s best basketball rivalries.
An 11-3 run, featuring numerous steals and transition baskets, gave the Lions (5-3) a 42-32 lead two minutes into the second half. Oviedo led by 11 entering the fourth quarter before a 5-0 Hagerty run pulled the Huskies (6-4) to 58-52. But after a timeout, Oviedo responded with a 9-0 spree featuring a four-point play by senior guard Conner Collins.
Collins went 4-for-4 on 3s and led Oviedo with 22 points. Carter Oden, a junior guard, scored 16 points.
Hagerty senior Asa Kohn scored 20 points and Jayden McCrae had 14 in the loss.
Coverage by Rick Staudt
Elsewhere
Windermere Prep ran its record to 7-1 with a 66-62 victory against Creekside.
Eustis (9-1), Lake Brantley (8-1) and St. Cloud (7-1) also posted Friday night victories.
Evans (7-2) has won six of its past seven going into a Saturday night game at The First Academy. The loss was 58-57 against Olympia.
UCF signee Donovan Williams back in home court | Boys Basketball Preview
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
