We have reached the finale of the boys basketball season with district tournaments beginning this week Feb 6-10 at various sites around the area.
The top two teams from each district move on to the playoffs so its all about survive and advance now.
Can Providence, Creekside, Ribault, Parker or anybody else make it to Lakeland and bring home an elusive state title?
The Road to Lakeland starts this week with winning the district tournament and clinching home court.
Here is a run down of area district tournaments and a preview of each district.
District 4-8A
Seeding
1 Creekside (7-1)
2. Buchholz (4-4)
3. Bartram Trail (4-4)
4. Oakleaf (3-5)
5. Fleming Island (2-6)
District Tournament at Creekside (Feb. 6-10)
Monday: No. 4 Oakleaf vs No. 5 Fleming Island
Tuesday: No.2 Buchholz vs No. 3 Bartram Trail, 6
Tuesday: No 1. Creekside vs 4/5 winner, 7:30
Friday: Championship, 7
Top Players
Bartram Trail: Xavier Hutchinson (15.6 p.p.g, 5.4 r.p.g.), Bryce Comernisky (13.7 p.p.g, 6.3 r.p.g.)
Creekside: Caleb Townsend (12.3 p.p.g), J’Michael Plummer (12.1 p.p.g.), DJ Dumas (9.5 p.p.g., 6.9 r.p.g.), Oratius Williams (5.3 r.p.g.)
Fleming Island: Daniel Sanborn (12.3 p.p.g, 7.1 r.p.g.), Eric Collins (12.0 p.p.g.), Graham Woods (7.0 r.p.g.)
Oakleaf: Jonathan Bryant (18.6 r.p.g.), Deonte Sherwood (10.6 p.p.g.)
Outlook
Creekside (22-3) has been of the most consistent teams of the year and locked into our No. 2 area ranking for the majority of the year. Losses to state powers Providence and Gainesville will pay off in the postseason, although a stunning loss to Oakleaf recently may have been a reality check they needed for a long playoff run again. The Knights feature the top defense in the area and can shoot the ball as well. The rest of the district is up for grabs with any of the remaining four teams Buchholz (13-11), Bartam Trail (15-9), Oakleaf (13-11) or Fleming Island (13-15) having a chance to take the other playoff spot, although keep an eye on Buchholz, who won 8 of their last 12 games down the stretch.
Prediction
Champion: Creekside
Runner-up: Bartram Trail
