Kissimmee is home to two member teams of the Florida Christian Conference, a collection of private, faith-based schools around the state. Over recent history, Heritage Christian and North Kissimmee Christian have had a say in who wins the conference title, if not won it.
The teams play in bandbox gymnasiums -- Heritage across 192 from Valencia College, NKC tucked back of Donegan Avenue -- where family and fans sit right on top of the action.
While the Heritage Eagles (10-3) ad deep runs in the FCC playoffs a few years ago, the NKC Lions (11-4) are the two-time state champions, and are poised to make it three. The two met this week in a FCC contest, with the Lions coming out on top, 93-64.
NKC, coached again by Rick Johnson, the Lions' longtime coach who sat out the last two years, played an up-tempo style on both ends of the floor. Six players, all seniors, scored in double digits, led by Izaiah Noel's 26. Anthony Morales (16 points, seven rebounds), Shayne Gabbidon (11), Pourchons Morriseau (12), Gabriel Ortiz (17, five steals) and Jaylen McKinnis (11 off the bench) were part of the balanced attack.
Where the Lions are deep with experience, the Eagles are setting the foundation for the future while still winning some games now. Freshman Elijah Reed and his seventh-grade brother Jeremiah led Heritage with 20 and 15 points respectively. Fellow freshman Kedwin Hawkins added 8.
The teams play basket-for-basket in the first quarter. NKC expanded an 15-12 first quarter led by drilling four three-pointers in the second and using a 31-13 run to push the lead to 46-25 at halftime and 72-44 after three quarters.
Johnson said his team, full of players with high basketball IQ, could contend for an FCC three-peat.
"As you can see, there's no ball-hogging," he said. "We have a short bench so there aren't a bunch of kids to send in. We're trying to keep the JV team together, because they'll be the ones playing together next year (when the seasons graduate)."
The school has been around over 25 years, and Johnson is one of only three coaches its had. The win pushed him to 493 career wins, he said, and there's a good chance he can get to 500 this season before the FCC playoffs, as the Lions have 12 more regular-season games. They've played public schools this year -- in fact they took on Orlando Colonial on Thursday, and while they again played their up-tempo game, they lost, 98-84.
The Lions will host Celebration on Jan. 12. That's they will have a rematch at Heritage Christian Jan. 8.
Eagles Coach Jim Estrella, another longtime FCC coach, said his young team is learning, and he's optimistic about the future.
"We're getting better every time out, we just played a little reckless and undisciplined early on (against NKC)," he said. "It's a good thing to play these guys, to show our kids where the bar is at and the standard they'll have to play if they want to play for a championship."
The Eagles rebounded with a 59-46 win Thursday against Bradenton Community Christian.
