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JACKSONVILLE — Evans High boys basketball coach Lonza Morgan has repeatedly said that getting stops is what makes his team go.
The Trojans’ defense again made the difference when it counted most in a 63-51 victory against talented Lake Howell in Thursday’s FHSAA Class 7A state semifinal. Evans trailed 40-39 late in the third quarter but held the Silver Hawks without a basket for more than six minutes in the fourth period at the University of North Florida Arena.
“Defense travels and defense wins games,” Morgan said after the victory. “My guys were locked in the whole week.”
The Trojans (23-7), who lost a close regular-season game against Lake Howell (25-6), made the Silver Hawks work for almost every shot and every dribble. Lake Howell hit just 35% of its attempts (18-of-51) and had 8 shots blocked — 5 of those by Evans’ 6-foot-10 senior center, Dewayne Dixon.
Evans was only slightly better on field goal attempts, making 20-of-52 (38.5%). But the Trojans got a big boost from the smallest player on the court, Kadir Rackley. He scored a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and added 3 assists and 2 steals.
The 5-foot-4 point guard made a rainbow 3-pointer for a 42-40 lead and then beat the bigs inside for a surprise tip-in with six minutes to play for a 48-42 advantage as the Trojans began to pull away.
“I knew this could be the end of my whole high school career,” Rackley said afterward. “Before the game, we talked about everybody just doing their job.”
Lake Howell was forced to foul, and Evans made 12-of-16 free throws down the stretch to seal the deal.
Junior guard Abimael Bellus delivered 13 points and 4 assists for Evans. Dixon finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. Jakai Hardy, a sophomore, scored 16 points but echoed his coach’s belief that the key was determined defense on a 94-foot-long college court that meant more area to cover. High school floors are typically 84 feet long.
“It’s a bigger court, but we wanted to squeeze the gaps and make it as small as we could,” Hardy said. “No. 4 (Johnas Maurice) is a crafty guard, and we had to make it hard for him.”
Evans player Dewayne Dizon (21) knocks the ball away from Lake Howell player Isaaac Buckley (left) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley celebrates after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans coach Lonza Morgan coaches players during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Dewayne Dixon (21) blocks a shot by Lake Howell player Ethan Diaz during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Johnas Maurice (4) drives through Evans player Kadir Rackley (right) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans players celebrate after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Isaac Buckley (10) blocks the shot of Evans player Abimael Belleus (5) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell coach Mike Sutton yells during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Hayden Dzenutis scores during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Isaac Buckley (10) scores over Evans player Abimael Belleus (5) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell coach Mike Sutton coaches during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Fans cheer during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Dewayne Dixon (left) blocks a shot by Lake Howell player Ethan Diaz during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans coach Lonza Morgan (middle) coaches during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley (0) scores during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Jakai Hardy (1) shoots under Lake Howell player Jaydon Samuels (23) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley (0) defends a drive by Lake Howell player Johnas Maurice (4) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Sami Atari (middle) falls as he passes during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Dewayne Dixon pulls in a rebound during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell coach Mike Sutton coaches players during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley chases a loose ball during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans players celebrate after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 23Evans players celebrate after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)Expand
Maurice, a 6-1 sophomore with major college potential, led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting – but he was blanketed from start to finish.
“He got our attention the last time,” Morgan said, alluding to Lake Howell’s 73-66 win vs. the Trojans. “We wanted all eyes on No. 4.”
Hayden Dzenutis, a junior, scored 11 points for Lake Howell, which had a 20-15 second-quarter lead. Ethan Diaz, a 6-9 senior, had 6 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the loss. Isaac Buckley, a 6-7 senior, was limited to 8 points and 6 rebounds.
Evans advances to the state final for the second year in a row to face either No. 1-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas (26-4) of Fort Lauderdale or Tampa Sickles (26-4) in Saturday’s noon championship game. Both are familiar foes.
The Trojans lost to Aquinas, 71-63, in the 6A final a year ago in Lakeland. This season, they topped Sickles 72-67 in overtime in a neutral-court game in December.
Evans, a state champ in 1975, made this year the program’s 10th state tourney appearance dating to 1968 and third in a row under Morgan, a former Trojans player. His 2019 team lost in the 7A semifinals, as did the 2024 squad.
Friday’s six-game schedule at UNF includes Ocoee’s girls playing top-ranked Winter Haven in a 7A semifinal at 9 a.m., and two Orlando area boys teams playing 7A semis.
Lake Mary, making its first boys basketball state tourney appearance, meets top-ranked Columbus at 1 p.m. Second-ranked Oak Ridge, making its sixth final four showing in coach Steve Reece’s nine-year tenure, plays Sarasota at 3 p.m. The Pioneers were state champions in 2018 and runners-up in 2024.
Saturday’s slate starts with the 6A boys final, followed by the 6A girls final at 2:30; the 7A boys final at 5; and the girls 7A final at 7:30.
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at [email protected].
Oak Ridge scores 98; Lake Mary-Winter Park bizarre finish | FHSAA Basketball
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The Trojans’ defense again made the difference when it counted most in a 63-51 victory against talented Lake Howell in Thursday’s FHSAA Class 7A state semifinal. Evans trailed 40-39 late in the third quarter but held the Silver Hawks without a basket for more than six minutes in the fourth period at the University of North Florida Arena.
“Defense travels and defense wins games,” Morgan said after the victory. “My guys were locked in the whole week.”
The Trojans (23-7), who lost a close regular-season game against Lake Howell (25-6), made the Silver Hawks work for almost every shot and every dribble. Lake Howell hit just 35% of its attempts (18-of-51) and had 8 shots blocked — 5 of those by Evans’ 6-foot-10 senior center, Dewayne Dixon.
Evans was only slightly better on field goal attempts, making 20-of-52 (38.5%). But the Trojans got a big boost from the smallest player on the court, Kadir Rackley. He scored a team-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and added 3 assists and 2 steals.
The 5-foot-4 point guard made a rainbow 3-pointer for a 42-40 lead and then beat the bigs inside for a surprise tip-in with six minutes to play for a 48-42 advantage as the Trojans began to pull away.
“I knew this could be the end of my whole high school career,” Rackley said afterward. “Before the game, we talked about everybody just doing their job.”
Lake Howell was forced to foul, and Evans made 12-of-16 free throws down the stretch to seal the deal.
Junior guard Abimael Bellus delivered 13 points and 4 assists for Evans. Dixon finished with 8 points, 10 rebounds and 4 steals. Jakai Hardy, a sophomore, scored 16 points but echoed his coach’s belief that the key was determined defense on a 94-foot-long college court that meant more area to cover. High school floors are typically 84 feet long.
“It’s a bigger court, but we wanted to squeeze the gaps and make it as small as we could,” Hardy said. “No. 4 (Johnas Maurice) is a crafty guard, and we had to make it hard for him.”
Evans player Dewayne Dizon (21) knocks the ball away from Lake Howell player Isaaac Buckley (left) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley celebrates after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans coach Lonza Morgan coaches players during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Dewayne Dixon (21) blocks a shot by Lake Howell player Ethan Diaz during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Johnas Maurice (4) drives through Evans player Kadir Rackley (right) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans players celebrate after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Isaac Buckley (10) blocks the shot of Evans player Abimael Belleus (5) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell coach Mike Sutton yells during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Hayden Dzenutis scores during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Isaac Buckley (10) scores over Evans player Abimael Belleus (5) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell coach Mike Sutton coaches during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Fans cheer during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Dewayne Dixon (left) blocks a shot by Lake Howell player Ethan Diaz during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans coach Lonza Morgan (middle) coaches during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley (0) scores during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Jakai Hardy (1) shoots under Lake Howell player Jaydon Samuels (23) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley (0) defends a drive by Lake Howell player Johnas Maurice (4) during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell player Sami Atari (middle) falls as he passes during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans player Dewayne Dixon pulls in a rebound during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Lake Howell coach Mike Sutton coaches players during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans guard Kadir Rackley chases a loose ball during the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Evans players celebrate after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel) Show Caption1 of 23Evans players celebrate after winning the Lake Howell versus Evans Class 6A semifinal game in the FHSAA State Basketball Championships at UNF Arena in Jacksonville on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Evans won the game 63-51. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)Expand
Maurice, a 6-1 sophomore with major college potential, led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting – but he was blanketed from start to finish.
“He got our attention the last time,” Morgan said, alluding to Lake Howell’s 73-66 win vs. the Trojans. “We wanted all eyes on No. 4.”
Hayden Dzenutis, a junior, scored 11 points for Lake Howell, which had a 20-15 second-quarter lead. Ethan Diaz, a 6-9 senior, had 6 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the loss. Isaac Buckley, a 6-7 senior, was limited to 8 points and 6 rebounds.
Evans advances to the state final for the second year in a row to face either No. 1-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas (26-4) of Fort Lauderdale or Tampa Sickles (26-4) in Saturday’s noon championship game. Both are familiar foes.
The Trojans lost to Aquinas, 71-63, in the 6A final a year ago in Lakeland. This season, they topped Sickles 72-67 in overtime in a neutral-court game in December.
Evans, a state champ in 1975, made this year the program’s 10th state tourney appearance dating to 1968 and third in a row under Morgan, a former Trojans player. His 2019 team lost in the 7A semifinals, as did the 2024 squad.
Friday’s six-game schedule at UNF includes Ocoee’s girls playing top-ranked Winter Haven in a 7A semifinal at 9 a.m., and two Orlando area boys teams playing 7A semis.
Lake Mary, making its first boys basketball state tourney appearance, meets top-ranked Columbus at 1 p.m. Second-ranked Oak Ridge, making its sixth final four showing in coach Steve Reece’s nine-year tenure, plays Sarasota at 3 p.m. The Pioneers were state champions in 2018 and runners-up in 2024.
Saturday’s slate starts with the 6A boys final, followed by the 6A girls final at 2:30; the 7A boys final at 5; and the girls 7A final at 7:30.
Varsity content editor Buddy Collings can be contacted by email at [email protected].
Oak Ridge scores 98; Lake Mary-Winter Park bizarre finish | FHSAA Basketball
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