Story byBuddy Collings, Orlando SentinelSun, February 22, 2026 at 5:30 AM UTC·6 min readSecond-year Olympia boys basketball coach Justin Shipp knew that loading up his team’s regular season schedule with state-ranked teams and out-of-state powers would do more than just boost the Titans’ strength of scheduling rating — which ended up trailing only defending state champ Miami Columbus and Oak Ridge in Class 7A. Olympia’s rugged schedule and hard knock losses paid big dividends on Saturday night when the Titans — with an all-underclass rotation — faced yet another pressure-packed situation that could have brought their season to a screeching halt. Olympia saw a 17-point lead shrink to six with 5:31 remaining in a 7A Region 2 semifinal against senior-heavy Wellington but had the poise to put the finishing touches on a decisive 57-40 win at home. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“We’ve been in so many big games,” Shipp said. “They guys were just ready for the moment.”Olympia (17-10) made 11 of its 15 shot attempts while stifling the Wolverines offense in a five minute stretch that gave the Titans a 28-13 lead.
