2013-14 FHSAA BOYS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
When: Tuesday through Saturday
Where: The Lakeland Center
TV: Championship games will be live on BHSN Channel 47 or HD 1147. Semifinals and championship games will be live streamed on bhsn.com.
Matchups:
Class 1A State Semifinals, Wednesday
Malone 67, Chiefland 59
Chipley 48, Hamilton County 85
1A State Championship Game, Malone 78 Hamilton County 61
Class 2A State Semifinals, Tuesday
FAMU 70, Grandview 81
Orlando Christian Prep 58 Sarasota Christian 44
2A State Championship Game - Orlando Christian Prep 53, FAMU 49
Class 3A State Semifinals, Tuesday
Providence 59, Sagemont 78
Tampa Prep 64, Shorecrest Prep 49
3A State Championship Game - Tampa Prep 48, Sagemont 79
Class 4A State Semifinals, Tuesday
Lake Highland Prep 80, Berkeley Prep 69
Ribault 70, Coral Springs Charter, 67
4A State Championship Game - Lake Highland Prep 58, Ribault 53
Class 5A State Semifinals, Friday
American Heritage 74 Rutherford 47
5A State Championship Game, American Heritage 98, Lakewood 70
Class 6A State Semifinals, Friday
Ed White 40, Miami Norland 68
6A State Championship Game - Miami Norland 60, Lake Minneola 44
Class 7A State Semifinals, Thursday
Oviedo 73, Boyd Anderson 65 - F/OT
7A State Championship Game - Oviedo 55, Bartow 52
Class 8A State Semifinals, Friday
Evans 51, South Miami 48
Winter Park 63, John I. Leonard 62 - F/OT
8A State Championship Game - Winter Park 66, Evans 64
Local teams:
Bartow (20-10): The Yellow Jackets are in their second-consecutive Final Four and fourth in past six years. They won it all in 2010. Coach Terrence McGriff jammed packed the schedule this season to prepare for this moment. Since losing to Oak Ridge in the Stinger Shootout, Bartow has won four by outscoring opponents by an average of 16 points per game. Their offensive output is led by center Tony Bradley, who has posted a double-double in every playoff game so far, guard Derrick Brooks, David Campbell and guard Deyontre Jordan.
Berkeley Prep (27-3): After missing the Final Four with a loss in the regional finals last year, the Buccaneers punched their ticket this season with an 80-64 win vs. Naples Community Day School. It’s the program’s second Final Four appearance (1967). Berkeley seemed destined for Lakeland all year with stellar play from Texas Tech commit Justin Gray (17.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg), senior Craig Bowman (15.4 ppg, 4.1 apg) and senior Marshall Holmes (14.5 ppg). Two of the Bucs losses came at the hands of fellow Final Four teams (Lake Highland Prep and Tampa Prep), but Gray was injured in loss to LHP and sat out the Tampa Prep game.
Evans (23-7): After finishing as 7A runner-up last year, the Trojans have spent much of this season as the top ranked team in Class 8A. Juniors Courtney Williamson and Kerry Blackshear provide a strong one-two scoring punch. Blackshear recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds in Saturday's 67-41 region final victory against Jacksonville Sandalwood. Evans, which is making consecutive appearances at the state tournament for the first time in program history, has won all five of its playoff games by 20 or more points.
Lake Highland Prep (26-4): The Highlanders went all the way last year claiming the 4A Crown with the help of center Denzel Davis who is now at Rice. This year the team is undersized but has state stage experience and arguable the state's top distributer and scorer in two-time Mr. Basketball and UNC signee Joel Berry (24.7 ppg, 4.3 apg). On the perimeter LHP has duel threats in Jay Henderson (13 ppg) and Michael Albertson. The team posted a season high 15 3-pointers in Fridays Region Final victory over Santa Fe.
Lakewood (13-12): The Spartans have shown a flair for the dramatic this season (i.e. – 63-60 regional semifinal victory over rival Gibbs). After losing to Largo in the PCAC Championship Game, Lakewood has won four straight, including their 64-53 regional final victory over Cape Coral Mariner. Jacobi Boykins, Michael Clark and Anthony Lawrence, Jr. (Mr. Triple-Double in the regional quarterfinals) have Lakewood poised to be thought of as a basketball school, not just a girls basketball school.
Lennard (25-4): The Longhorns are this year’s tournament Cinderella team. Heading to the school’s first ever Final Four, they got a signature win for the program with the regional semifinal victory over Largo and then won the regional championship with a convincing win vs. Lehigh. Versatile Caelen Watts (18.3 ppg), Gary Hector (14.0), Diontae Johnson (9.9) and Trey Jones (9.7) lead an aggressive offensive attack. But Jones was badly injured in Lennard’s regional final win and his availability for the Final Four is uncertain.
Melbourne (28-2): The Bulldogs are making history with their first ever appearance at the state tournament. Melbourne, which lost the season opener at Orlando Christian Prep and fell to district foe Martin County in January, has won 18 straight games. In Saturday's region final at Palmetto, Melbourne rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to win 61-57 behind 25 points and five assists from guard Garrett McGann. The Bulldogs are ranked fifth in Class 7A and have the fewest losses among the four teams in that class at the state tournament.
Orlando Christian Prep (28-1): The Warriors will be making their seventh consecutive trip to the Lakeland Center on Tuesday after easily defeating Academy of the Lakes Friday night, 83-41. The 2A State Runner-ups fell to Grandview Prep last year and have only dropped one game this season to Greensboro Day (NC) in the Montverde Invitational. All four starting seniors' average double digits, Dmitri Thompson (14.7 ppg), UCF signee Adonys Henriquez (14.5 ppg), Brandon Maxwell (14.3 ppg) and Jonathan Joseph (11.5 ppg) while eighth grader Damon Harge runs the point.
Oviedo (26-4): The Lions earned a trip to the state tournament for the second time in the last three seasons. Oviedo earned the No. 1 ranking in Class 7A with a win over Wekiva in the district final and held that position by defeating the Mustangs again 49-46 in the region semifinals. Despite a trip to the Panhandle, the Lions had no problem in Saturday's region final as they hammered Crestview 76-48. Junior Matt Milon leads a dynamic offensive team that includes versatile forwards R.J. June and Dexter Graham. Oviedo lost by one point to Oak Ridge in the state semifinals two years ago.
Shorecrest Prep (21-4): The Chargers average more than 70 points a game and have outscored opponents by an average of 18 points per game. Junior guard Brady Grimm leads the charge with more than 22 points a game. Shorecrest also gets consistent points from Jay Joyer and Marcus Blake has stepped up in the playoffs. The Chargers met Tampa Prep earlier this season at their own holiday tournament. The Terps won, 59-52.
Tampa Prep (26-3): The Terrapins are making their ninth Final Four appearance and first since they won it all in 2012. They missed a 10th Final Four with a buzzer-beater loss in the regional finals last year. That loss has been a big motivator this year. The state’s top sophomore Juwan Durham leads the Terps with 21.4 ppg and 11.7 rpg. Junior guard Michael Fridella contributes 12.3 ppg and senior guard Yoni Wasser dishes out an average of 4.4 apg. One of Tampa Prep’s three losses was to rival Berkeley by two points. The Terps survived a scare in the regional finals with a 53-49 win vs. The First Academy.
Winter Park (26-3): The Wildcats are one of the biggest surprises at this year's state tournament. Oak Ridge entered the postseason as the favorite in 8A, Region 2, but Winter Park beat the Pioneers twice en route to the state semifinals. Saturday's region final victory featured a dramatic finish as the Wildcats survived a missed three-point shot at the buzzer to beat St. Petersburg 80-78. Ocoee transfer DeAndre Turner (18.6 ppg) leads a balanced Winter Park offense that features six players who average more than seven points per game. The Wildcats excel from the perimeter, knocking down more than eight three-point shots per game.