JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – In the biggest game of the Fortegra Invitational, the smallest player on the court was the star as Fleming Island point guard Bennie McDuffie led the Golden Eagles to a dominating 59-31 win over Nease in the championship game of the tournament.
McDuffie, who is listed at 5 foot 6 inches tall, led Fleming Island with 12 points, but his defense (five steals), passing (seven assists) and even his rebounding (five) served as the spark for his teams’ dominant performance.
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The Golden Eagles (8-0) were never threatened in the game. They held Nease without a point until the 1:29 mark of the first quarter. By the end of the first period, Fleming Island led 14-2. Open looks were few and far between for the Panthers because of the swarming Fleming Island defense. In one first-half possession, Nease passed the ball 21 times, but could not get off a clean shot.
The Golden Eagles defense was fantastic, but McDuffie was the star of the night, and eventual tournament MVP.
“He’s a jolt of energy. He played great. He shot the ball great. When he shoots great, we’re tough to beat,” Fleming Island head coach Traavis Chandler said. " He’s the catalyst of what we do. He had a great tournament.”
Fleming has won all eight of their games by double digits this year and has the look of a team who could make a deep run in the postseason.
“Excellent job. Defensively I thought they were really great three nights in a row,” Chandler said. “It gives us a championship atmosphere. It prepares them for the end of the season.
McDuffie was joined on the all-tournament team by two of his Fleming Island teammates, Colton Zapp and Antoine Sandy. Two Nease players made the team, Logan Ryan and Matthew Guzie. Riverside’s Montes Dunson was the final member of the all-tournament team.
But the trophy went to Fleming Island, who face Riverside and Impact Christian, to other teams to play in the tournament, on Tuesday and Thursday. Looked further down their schedule, there is an intriguing matchup with No. 1 ranked Jackson on Feb. 3. If both teams continue to play they way they have this season, that game could be one of the biggest matchups of the season in the state.