For seven lucky teams, their dreams are closer to a reality as they surge toward a state championship. On the road to Lakeland, six teams must make one more stop, while one has already punched their ticket. It was an impactful night of buzzer beaters and heart breakers in Northeast Florida. Check out the Boys basketball action below and who is headed to the next round.
Class 6A
#3. Fleming Island fell to #2 Mainland 71-64 in the second round of the 6A playoffs. Sebastian Astor led Fleming all year averaging 15.3 ppg, Aaron Brown averaged 11.9 ppg as senior leadership led Coach Travis Chandler’s team. They’ll look to reload next year with new talent in hopes of returning to the playoffs.
#1. Columbia (25-2) edged Lincoln 57-56 in their Class 6A regional semifinal. Junior Charleston Ponds scored 17 points and Marcus Peterson added 12 points. The Tigers went to the wire as Peterson and Darrien Jones hit free throws late to give their team a lead. Big steals by Jordan Smith and Jones set the stage for dramatics at the end. Lincoln’s Zae Wiggins hit a big 3-pointer and also got to the line to cut the lead to 1 point. Jones would then go to the line but miss two free throws. However with just seconds on the clock, a half court shot by David Ganious was off the mark as the crowd stormed the floor. Mainland will visit Lake City for the opportunity to go to the Final 4 Friday.
Class 5A
#1. Lee (21-4)– The Generals defeated #4. St. Augustine (15-8) 81-66 to advance to the regional finals. Deandre Devaughn scored 20 points, Alex Fudge scored 18 points, and Teron Haywood scored 19 points to lead the three headed monster for Lee. St. Augustine bows out after a great season. Brakhel Burch scored 20 points, Trevon Dirden 12 points, and Dequan Stanley 11 points. They just weren’t big enough to handle the size of Lee in the game. The Generals will welcome Rickards for the Regional Final. A team that possess size and athleticism. It’s sure to be an evenly matched contest to decide who goes to the Final 4.
Class 4A
#1. Paxon (22-5) defeated #5. Bolles(18-8) 70-54. Isaiah Adams was unstoppable, scoring 30 points against the Bulldogs. The UCF commit added to his season averages of 23 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.8 spg, and 2.9 bpg which leads the team in all categories. Quinnton Jackson averages 8.7 ppg, and scored 13 points. Michael Caswell averages 8.4 ppg as well. It was said that playoff defenses will be attempt to force ball out of Adam’s hands if they want to win. Bolles and crew were unable to do so. The Bulldogs can hold their head high after another great season. Junior Bobby Crouch (18.4 ppg) returns as well as Ben McGraw (15.5 ppg). Paxon moves on to face Bishop Kenny for the right to go to the Final 4. Paxon attempts to return in consecutive years.
#2. Bishop Kenny (22-4)- Jerry Buckley’s team is one step closer to the Final 4 after toppling Gadsden County 53-43. Ross Candelino averages 14 ppg and is one of the big time scorers for Kenny. His acrobatic play along with their total team approach overwhelms teams at both ends of the court. Against Gadsden, they jumped out to a 17-8 lead in the first. While closing the fourth wit ha 17-9 advantage. As we predicted, they’ll need to keep up the output to attempt ground the Paxon Eagles. Both teams are vying for Final 4 appearances. Kenny last went to the Final 4 in 2015-2016.
Class 3A
Class 3A Jackson 44 Providence 32 <——- Click here for full story
Class 2A
#5. Impact Christian Academy (15-8)- Impact defeated #1 NFEI 35-33 in the 2nd round of the playoffs. It was the first time that Impact was able to beat NFEI all year. It took dramatic fashion too, as the game was tied at 33-33 with just seconds left in the contest. As Impact in-bounded the ball to guard Jordin Jackson, the senior drove the length of the court skying for a lay-up as time expired to give the Lions the victory. With the win, Impact will welcome Florida A&M to Jacksonville.
#3.University Christian (12-11)– Last year, UC made it all the way to Lakeland. Tuesday, they fell short of returning to the promised land, losing to Florida A&M 58-56 in dramatic fashion. Junior Joe Carter returns next year after averaging 11.3 ppg. So does Royce Morris who averages 11.2 ppg. Coach Keith Stroud welcomes his juniors back with anticipation of making a run at Lakeland next year.
Class 1A
W6- Hilliard (20-3)- The Red Flashes and Coach Myron Saunders defeated W5 Madison County 47-36 to advance to the State Final 4! Senior Jacob Crews led all scorers with 19 points, while Shemar Melton chipped in with 13 points to lead the team. Down 14-13 at halftime, Hilliard turned it on in the second half scoring 33 points in the second half. Hilliard faces Vernon (19-7) in the Class 1A Final 4 next. It’s the Red Flashes first appearance in the Final 4 since 1979.
