The Palm Beach Central High School boys basketball team put together a late rally Friday, Jan. 19 against district foe Jupiter High School to defeat the Warriors 57-43.
The Broncos trailed nearly the entire game, but found a late rhythm that generated a steady momentum to control the ball and get the win to improve to 11-6 on the season.
Early on, the game was tight, with the Broncos remaining within two points through most of the first half, but Jupiter did enough offensively to take a 25-19 lead into the locker room. Drew Potter did manage to hit two three-point baskets in the first half to keep the Broncos close.
Palm Beach Central entered the second half trying to gain some momentum, and continued staying toe-to-toe with the Warriors. By the third period’s end, the Broncos were within three points, 32-29.
Right out of the gate to start the fourth period, Palm Beach Central began to find that momentum, tying the game at 35-35. From there, the Broncos took control. With just over three minutes into the final period, the Broncos took a 37-35 lead and had the Warriors on their heels. Little by little, the Broncos chipped away at the Jupiter morale. “Once we started playing with a little desperation, we were behind, and we wanted to make some plays, be more aggressive, all of the sudden things started to happen for us,” Bronco head coach Jason Pitman said.
With 3:05 remaining on the game clock, Potter hit his third three-point basket to extend the Bronco lead to 44-35. The shot forced Jupiter to call a time-out. “He always knows when to step it up in the important moments,” Pitman said. “We needed him tonight to do that.”
The short break did little to help the Warriors against the Bronco resurgence, as Palm Beach Central continued to win the ball under the rim and find the net to lift them to the 57-43 victory. The Broncos outscored Jupiter 28-11 in the final period.
Potter recorded 16 points with three three-pointers. Geneus Gyvicht was strong all night under the rim for the Broncos both in rebounds and in points, scoring 11.
“He’s getting close to being the school’s all-time leading scorer,” Pitman said of Gyvicht. “For a 6-foot-1 player, it’s pretty impressive.”
The win improved the Broncos’ chances of obtaining the second seed for the upcoming district tournament.
