Two months ago, after a disappointing showing at the Northwest Classic, many fans were left wondering what’s wrong with Ribault. Turns out nothing was wrong with them.
While First Coast and Jackson were stealing the early spotlight, two months later its Ribault and arch-rival Raines two of the hottest teams in the area, a win away from a trip to the Final Four in Lakeland.
We are down to just seven team left in the area, two have already punched their tickets to Lakeland, five more can join them Friday with wins.
Here is a breakdown of what has happened so far and who is left standing.
Round 1 (Thursday, Feb. 17)
8A: Lee 59, Buchholz 54
8A: Creekside 59, Atlantic Coast 45
7A: Gainesville 58, Englewood 43
7A: Vanguard 65, St. Augustine 53
6A: Ribault 66, Baker County 32
6A: Parker 53, Orange Park 39
6A: Palatka 57, Eastside 53
5A: Raines 74, Interlachen 58
5A: Bradford 63, Jackson 51
4A: Providence 92, Maclay 54
4A: PK Yonge 56, Bishop Snyder 55
2A: Aucilla Christian 68, Christ’s Church 61
2A: Temple Christian 73, Tallavana Christian 26
2A: Bayshore Christian 66, Harvest 29
2A: North Fla Educational 48, St. Johns Lutheran 33
1A: Dixie County 61, Crescent City 54
Round 2 (Tuesday, Feb 21)
8A: Creekside 58, Lee 48
JULINGTON CREEK-Lee gave Creekside everything they had and more but fell short in the end, meanwhile Creekside advances to their second straight Elite 8 appearance.
Creekside 58- Lee 48, Final.
Creekside (26-3) advances to the Region 1-8A final against Tallahassee Lincoln.
Lee ends at 17-8.
— Will Brown (@wwbrown19) February 22, 2017
Creekside held off a resilient @JaxLeeAthletics basketball team to advance to a second straight regional final:https://t.co/C4GjGDH3lC
— Will Brown (@wwbrown19) February 22, 2017
6A: Ribault 59, Parker 35
NORTHSIDE- Down 23-20, a 10-0 run in the final two minutes not only gave Ribault the lead at the half, but all the momentum they wouldn’t relinquish as the Trojans moved on to the Elite 8. The Trojans have now won 12 in a row heading into their matchup with Godby.
Half: Ribault 30, Parker 23 in 1-6A boys basketball. Pressure defense by Trojans ruined a good 1.5 quarters by Braves.
— Justin Barney (@JustinBarneyTV) February 22, 2017
6A: Palatka 58, Santa Fe 56
ALACHUA-Palatka trailed by 14 at one point and won it on game ending buzzer beater on the road to advance to the Elite 8.
WATCH: Unbelievable buzzer beater as Palatka comes back from 14 points down to stun host Santa Fe, 58-56. pic.twitter.com/Yw83JI6eoq
— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall_) February 22, 2017
5A: Raines 56, Bradford 49
STARKE-Raines went on the road and got all it could handle with host Bradford before pulling away thanks to Josh Battle 11 points to reach the Elite 8.
4A: Providence 58, PK Yonge 45
SOUTHSIDE-Zack Bryant 18 points helped host Stallions hold off PK Yonge and put the Stallions back in the Final Four and in position to win their fourth state title.
On to Lakeland: @Prov_Basketball defeats P.K. Yonge 58-45. Zack Bryant 18 points, Jacorie Archie 10 to lead 3-time champion Stallions.
— Clayton Freeman (@CFreemanJAX) February 22, 2017
2A: North Fla Educational 57, Bayshore 36
TAMPA- A 24-0 run over the second and third quarters helped North Florida Educational Institute knock off host Bayshore and advance the Eagles (21-9) to the Final Four.
Region boys basketball: Jacksonville North Florida Educational Institute 57, Bayshore Christian 36 https://t.co/y0hiuEJnr2 @BCS_Warriors
— Traci Johnson (@TBHomeTeam) February 22, 2017
Round 3 (Friday, Feb 24)
Friday
8A: Lincoln @ Creekside
6A: Godby @ Ribault
6A: Nature Coast @ Palatka
5A: Marianna @ Raines
2A: Aucilla Christian at Temple— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) February 22, 2017
8A: Lincoln at Creekside (26-3), 7
6A: Godby at Ribault (24-6), 7
6A: Nature Coast at Palatka (21-8), 7
5A: Marianna at Raines (21-9), 7
2A: Aucilla Christian at Temple Christian (23-2), 7
Soldiers have won 14 in a row
Final Four
Feb 28
North Fla Educational (19-7) vs Central Fla Christian/Florida Prep, 4 p.m.
March 1
Providence (24-5) vs Archbishop Carroll, 10 a.m.
