High School

Isaac Celiscar hits game-winning shot to lift Winter Haven over Orlando Christian Prep in OT

The junior scored 17 points along with nailing the game-tying shot with regulation time expiring

Andy Villamarzo

WINTER HAVEN, Fla.- Winter Haven head coach Tyrone Woodside has a theory he shares with his players in time of making clutch plays: You have to be willing to be the goat or the hero. 

In those dire situations, Celiscar twice was the goat. 

The junior shooting guard hit the game-tying basket to send the game into overtime and hit the go-ahead jumper to lead Winter Haven past Orlando Christian Prep 64-62 Tuesday night. The Blue Devils improved to 19-4 on the season, while the Warriors dropped to 17-3. 

"(Isaac Celiscar) has always been that kind of player looking for the big moment," Woodside said. "The game is not too big for him and he's willing to take that shot. He's not the only one, he's just the one tonight."

Facing a Orlando Christian Prep program that has won 11 state championships, Winter Haven looked to set the tone early on in the game. It would be the Warriors, though, that took control in the early moments. 

The Warriors opened up the contest on a 6-0 run before the Blue Devils got on the board. Orlando Christian Prep remained in the driver's seat throughout the opening period and looked like they would exit with a nine-point advantage until Kjei Parker's 3-pointer to end the quarter made it 14-8. 

Winter Haven would then go on a 6-0 run of its own to start the second quarter, with 3-pointers from Parker and Tyrese Mayo tied the game up at 14. From there, the Warriors would out-score the Blue Devils 17-7 the rest of the way up to halftime. 

At halftime of the game, the school officials introduced Carl White as Winter Haven's new head football coach. White was previously the head coach at Ridge Community. 

When both teams returned to the court, it would be Orlando Christian Prep that seemed to have a little pep to their step in the second half. Warriors junior guard Ameer Ramadan provided a spark in the third, finishing with 13 points on the night. Ramadan's jumper midway through the third pushed the Warriors ahead 38-29 and it looked like tough sledding for Winter Haven. 

Not when you got guys like Celiscar, Phillips (18 points) and Dylan James (13 points). 

The Blue Devils went on a furious 14-0 run to end the third quarter, capped by a monster dunk by Celiscar. Up 43-38 heading into the fourth, both teams jostled back and forth for the lead. Trailing 56-54 in the final moments of the fourth after a Sean combs' 3-pointer, Celiscar took the ball downcourt and hit the game-tying scoop layup with time expiring. 

Taking the game into extra time, the clutch play making of Celiscar (17 points) didn't stop. After Ramadan hit two crucial free throws to tie the game at 62-all, Celiscar got the ball on an inbound and hit the turnaround jumper with 00.5 seconds left, sending the Winter Haven fan section into a frenzy. 

"Tied game, I want the ball in these kind of situations," Celiscar said. "Coach called a play for me and that's how we won the game. Nah, never (had all the fans run out on the court). That's my first experience of that. Having all the students come support me and have my back. It was fun." 

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.

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Andy Villamarzo
ANDY VILLAMARZO

Andy Villamarzo has been a sports writer in the Tampa Bay (FL) Area since 2007, writing for publications such as Tampa Bay Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Suncoast News, Tampa Beacon, Hernando Sun to name a few. Andy resides out of the Tarpon Springs, FL area and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in the summer of 2022 covering the Tampa Bay Area. He has quickly become one of Florida's foremost authorities on high school sports, appearing frequently on podcasts, radio programs and digital broadcasts as an expert on team rankings, recruiting and much more.

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