Hilliard 68 Newberry 67– Class 1A
It was a “tough win last night: for Hilliard as described by the team. It took OT versus Newberry but the Flashes pulled it out 68-67 to advance to the Sweet 16. Hilliard improved to 24-2 on the season as CJ Hall led the team with 20 points. Also, Malcolm Warthen (17 pts), Brandyn Seldomridge (12pts), Kevin Thomas Jr.(15pts) all contributed mightily to the win. Hilliard will face Ft. White on 2/20/24.
Regional semi final ✅ Hit the game winning free throw! @Hilliard_Hoops @prephoopsfl @RossVDG14 pic.twitter.com/sRTVKXFNVH
— Brandyn Seldomridge (@Brandyn2024) February 16, 2024
Fort White 56 Hawthorne 51– Class 1A
Fort White upset #1 seed Hawthorne Thursday 56-51 to advance to the sweet 16. Fort White trailed 15-4 after the first quarter, and fell behind 28-17 at halftime. But a furious third quarter where the Indians outscored the Hornets 22-8 got them back into the game. Jayden Jackson scored 13 points in the quarter to lead his team back.
Creekside 72 Seminole 82 – Class 7A
Creekside fell behind early to Seminole and could never make up the ground needed to get the victory in the first round of the playoffs. Still, the Knights have nothing to hold their heads down for. They achieved “Back to Back” District Championships and were the only team from Northeast Florida in the Class 7A playoffs.
Ponte Vedra 57 Lincoln 39– Class 6A
The Class 6A District 3 campions improved to 21-7 after an easy win over Lincoln Thursday night. Sam Ritchie led all scorers on the team with 17 points. Tyler Cowan scored 13 points, and David Sanchez –Barrera scored10 points. Ritchie was also named district player of the year by the FACA. Ponte Vedra moves on to host Gainesville 2/20/24.
Oakleaf 46 Gainesville 47- Class 6A
Oakleaf’s season ended by only 1-point Thursday after falling to Gainesville in the first round of the playoffs. The loss spoiled a potential rematch with Ponte Vedra, a team they fell to in the district championship. In that game Aaron Rivers scored 27 points, Joe Dorvilus scored18 points, Jelani Wright scored14 points, and Tyler Owens had 9 assists to break the single season record. The Knights ended their playoff season at 19-7.
Riverside 33 Deltona 27– Class 5A
The Generals advanced to round 2 after dealing Deltona a loss in a very close contest. It was the type of game that Riverside likes to play, defense and diversity in scoring. Junio Jesus-Rice scored 9 points, while three players (Tae’Shuan Gelsey, Jaquan Wells, Javion Davis) scored 8 points in the win. Next up is a Rickards team that took down Columbia in the first round.
It wasn’t pretty but we got the win…round 2 Tuesday in Tallahassee vs Rickards…way to be aggressive @GelseyTae @RSHSBBGENERALS @DuvalSports @JustinBarneyTV @jaxdotcom @CFreemanJAX pic.twitter.com/hyrlKKB0MD
— Jamaal Gelsey (@jamaalgelsey3) February 16, 2024
Rickards 68 Columbia 40– Class 5A
2024 Boys Basketball State Tournament 5AJackson 62 Bolles 47– Class 4A
Two teams from Duval County clashed in round 1 of the playoffs with Jackson running away with the contest by 15 points. Jackson jumped out to a 17-8 lead at home thanks to a big effort on defense. They were instrumental in holding Bolles to just 8 points in the period on their way to the win. Ronald Durham and Albert Laguerrehada reciprocated the on-court connection with assists leading to fast-break points. #1 team in the final regular season Top 25 basketball rankings showed why they are favorites to get to Lakeland again i 2024 after going in 2022 but missing in 2023. They’ll face Ribault next, a rematch from earlier in the season where Jackson won 2 out of the 3 contests against them.
Ribault 59 Walton 47– Class 4A
The mighty Trojans made short work of Walton, out-scoring them in every quarter on their way to the double digit victory. Their complete game ended early enough where they could tune into the game on main st to see who their next opponent would be. A very familiar one emerged victorious in Jackson. Led by Caleb Williams, Ribault is poised for another rematch with the Tigers. In his last two games against Jackson, Williams has scored 32 points and 33 points. In their win against Jackson in December, Jaheim Robinson scored a team high16 points. Williams will almost certainly get his points, but if Ribault can continue to get complete efforts from the team like they’ve done at times this year, they can beat anyone.
Paxon 49 Godby 36-Class 4A
The Golden Eagles of Paxon defeated a very good Godby team 49-36 enacting defense to determine their destiny to the second round. This team seems to be on a mission, and it’s mission is happening at the right time. They’ve won 4 straight games including the playoffs. Their next playoff contests however, features a team they’d like to payback for their last loss which occurred in the Gateway conference championship. They face Raines at Paxon 2/20/24.
Raines 46 South Walton 45– Class 4A
Raines keeps making the wins rain this season, and Thursday they got a dramatic one point victory in the first round of the playoffs over Walton. The Vikings have navigated a successful season and have come out on top with close victories. Their next opponent, they earned a close victory over them in the Gateway Conference Championship, and their last second win over a very good Walton team should prove positive heading into a matchup with Paxon.
Providence 69 P.K Yonge 22– Class3A
Providence jumped out to a 24-8 lead and outscored P.K. Yonge 50-12 in the first half on their way to a first round win in the Class 3A FHSAA playoffs. Providence will hot Florida State University on 2/20/24. This season has been very special for the Stallions. One feat came when Chris Arias scored his 1,000th point of his career. He’s a major reason Providence is a powerhouse in the state this year.
Episcopal 62 San Jose Prep 44– Class 3A
It was a good season for San Jose Prep however, their first round matchup was extremely tough as Episcopal took home the win to advance to the second round. The Eagles have been great all year, boasting one of the best records in Northeast Florida at 23-4. The Eagles will welcome Marianna in a matchup between #2 and #3 which is sure to be a great contest. With their win, the Eagles have advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
Impact 63 St. Johns Country Day 44- Class 2A
Impact Christian Academy, and head coach Ben Jones are back in the playoffs, and made a statement against first round opponent St. Johns Country Day. Taylor Thompson led all scorers with 19 points, while Wilmer Dejesus chipped in 11 points. It was a strong defensive effort by Impact, playing team defense For St. Johns Country Day, Camden Cooper led the team all season averaging 18.3ppg. He scored a team high 17 points in the loss. Now Impact will turn their focus to #4 Munroe.
North Florida Educational Institute (NFEI) 68 Eagles View 37– Class 2A
NFEI got a big first round victory over Eagles View Thursday. The Eagles and Coach Stacey Poole Jr look to find their way back to Lakeland for the second year in a row. They have navigated the toughest schedule in Northeast Florida. Eagles View had a great season with a 19-9 record, but were no match for the powerhouse NFEI. 6’10 center Odaine Clahar scored 10 point, grabbed 10 rebounds and generated 5 blocks. The Eagles now set up a big matchup with University Christian.
Odaine Clahar 6’10 F, 10pts 10rbs 5blks first round regionals Win pic.twitter.com/R172f4b3aC
— Big0 (@ClaharOdaine) February 16, 2024
University Christian 83 St John II 43– Class 2A
University Christian had an amazing first game of the playoffs with the second largest margin of victory for any team in Northeast Florida. Justin Gist led the way with 20 points, Shadrack Kakora scored 14 points, Karrington Johnson scored 11 points, and Henry Arthur scored 10 points. MARVIN CHRISTIE has been a game changer for the team as it was a total team effort, as head coach Jody Bailey deployed the entire arsenal. King Sanders, Calvin Carter, Adalbert Allotey, Ethan Young, Bryant Boykin, and Austin Kellogg all scored in the game. Next comes a much harder matchup with NFEI.
