WELLINGTON, Fla. — Palm Beach Central's basketball team has finally achieved what it set out to accomplish, winning the school's first district championship in program history.
When Palm Beach Central opened in 2003, the athletic department focused primarily on football. While the school tried to become competitive in basketball over the years, success remained elusive.
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"We've been going out with exits in the first round, and we just keep going down," said Tyler Desilma, the team's center.
The Broncos made a coaching change two years ago, hiring John Saint Juste as the new basketball coach to address the program's inconsistencies.
"I came from Wellington High, known as the best basketball program in the area. So when I came here, that was the mindset, can we recreate that culture?" Saint Juste said.
The coaching change has brought energy and culture to the program. In the two years since Saint Juste arrived, the boys' games have been loud and the crowd has helped the team protect home court. They've lost only one home game during that span.
The team entered this season with a clear objective.
"Since the beginning of the summer, we had one goal, and that was to win districts," said Xavier Police, the team's combo guard.
The Broncos accomplished their goal by going undefeated at home and finishing 19-7 overall. Their toughest challenge came Saturday in a crosstown rivalry game against Wellington High School.
"We blew them out, we had to get it done like Coach John said," Desilma said.
The team won the game 64-37 to defeat their heated rivals and capture the school's first-ever district title.
"All the sweat, blood, and tears that we put into this really paid off, and it's the first one in history is big for us too," Police said.
With a possible three games remaining before the championship game, Desilma is confident about the team's prospects.
"For them to learn who we are. When we win districts, all eyes are going to be on us. So now they're going to know who we are," he said.
