- December 30, 2024
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Gary McDaniel has been the head coach of Flagler Palm Coast High School’s boys varsity basketball team for more than a decade. McDaniel believes this season’s schedule is the toughest he and his players have ever had to endure.
“We’ve had a lot of learning moments,” he said. “My goal was for us to be competitive by the end of the season. I know we’re close. Of course, we’re going to find out over the next couple of weeks.”
The Bulldogs have bounced back nicely since their 74-49 defeat at the hands of Spruce Creek on Jan. 22.
The Bulldogs beat New Smyrna Beach 67-58 (Jan. 24), Atlantic 72-53 (Jan. 28) and, most recently, Seabreeze 58-50 the night of Jan. 30 at Seabreeze High School.
The Bulldogs led the Sandcrabs by 17 at halftime. But Seabreeze fought back in the third and fourth quarters, trimming the deficit to just four on several occasions.
“We’re a young team,” McDaniel said. “We’re trying to peak at the right time. We’re going to have some ups and downs. But I think we’re starting to get the momentum we’re looking for.”
The Bulldogs were led by guard Desmond Neal, who scored a game-high 18 points on Thursday night.
“We should have done better, but we played well defensively as a team,” he said. “We’ve got a long stretch ahead of us. We’ve just got to get prepared.”