PORT ORANGE — The reminders aren’t hard to find.

In the gym. In the locker room. Joe Giddens printed them out and hung them on the wall when the school year started.

“It’s posted everywhere,” the coach said.

So while the Mainland Buccaneers don’t speak much about how last year ended with a loss in the 5A state title game in Lakeland, the score (49-30), opponent (Belen Jesuit) and date (March 4, 2023) still serve as their fuel.

“We don’t like talking about it because of the way it all happened,” senior DeAndre Newland said.

“But the players who were on last year’s team — like me, (Newland) and a couple other guys — it’s already engraved in our brains,” senior Narayan Thomas added. “(Giddens) just wants us to see it so we have even more of a drive. We have a sign we have to touch at every practice. We have to go into every practice through the same door. We have to see it.”

That doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom on West International Speedway Boulevard.

This Bucs squad posted the same record through 15 games (11-4) as its state runner-up counterpart from a year ago. That roster started and finished with defense.

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Giddens said this team is bigger. It’s better offensively, with improved shooting and similar athleticism. In an 81-51 rout of Spruce Creek Friday, Mainland threw down four dunks, including two alley-oops.

But Giddens still hasn’t figured out the Bucs’ greatest strength.

“We still haven’t played our best yet,” he said.

The core remains largely the same. Sophomore Nathan Kirk leads the group with 15 points and 3.2 assists per game. Thomas contributes 13.6 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds. Newland, who stands 7 feet tall, adds 9.7 points and 6.6 boards.

Those players carry the hurt of last year more than anyone. They’ve tried to relay it to the newcomers.

“They don’t know how it felt,” Newland said.

Freshman Kade Manley (9.6 points per game) and junior Pine Ridge transfer Seven Simmons (5.7 points) have been the most impactful additions. They have provided the shooting boost, pacing the lineup in 3-pointers attempted and 3-pointers made.

Thomas and Kirk play downhill, pushing into the paint where Newland resides.

“We know how we went to state last year,” Thomas said. “We know what it takes to get there. So it’s just like building another team but making it better. That’s what the fun part about it is.”

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Friday’s contest against Spruce Creek was Mainland’s first local opponent of the season. It will encounter a few more with the Five Star Conference tournament kicking off Jan. 20 and its district bracket against the likes of Deltona, Pine Ridge and Seabreeze in early February.

From there, the Bucs know the schedule. Regionals, and if all goes well, states. There lies the shot at redemption.

Later this year, Mainland will look to hang something else in the gym to replace Gidden’s bulletin board material.

A championship banner.

A sweet reminder.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: High school basketball: Mainland Bucs search for title game redemption