CLASS 4A

We skated to a 14-2 record with our first-round picks.  Our misses were Jacksonville Raines going on the road and taking out Santa Rosa Beach South Walton by a single point.  Likewise, Miami Gulliver Prep journeyed up I-95 in South Florida and took down Cardinal Gibbons in Fort Lauderdale by one.  Eustis had a close call at home against Lake Alfred Discovery but managed to win by two points.  The remaining contests on Thursday night in Class 4A were not close.

Best Matchup: Have to go with North Broward Prep visiting neighboring rival Calvary Christian down in Broward County.  Both have size and star power.  Calvary Christian won the district title game between these two with relative ease but as we have seen before, it isn’t uncommon for the district runner-up to take out the district champ in the regional round.  Eustis at Palm Bay should also be a good match-up as the teams mirror each other in physical make-up and style of play.

Best Chance for an Upset: The Villages has the size, depth, and overall talent to go into Lake Highland Prep and come out with a win. That will be easier said than done.  Lake Highland Prep has exceeded all outside expectations this season and don’t expect that to stop now.  The Highlanders have the senior leadership and experience that The Villages lack.  Still, we’ve seen crazier things happen.

Our Picks

Jacksonville Andrew Jackson over Jacksonville Ribault

Jacksonville Paxon School over Jacksonville Raines

Orlando Lake Highland Prep over The Villages Charter

Palm Bay over Eustis

St. Petersburg Gibbs over Sarasota Booker

Fort Myers Gateway over Brooksville Central

Hialeah Mater Lake Academy over Miami Gulliver Prep

Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian over Coconut Creek North Broward Prep

CLASS 5A

We were 15-1 overall in our picks as, in what might have been the biggest upset of the night outside of Class 1A, TERRA Environmental went on the road and took down second seed Fort Lauderdale Stranahan by five points.  There were some close contests elsewhere.  P’Cola Washington won by three at home over Choctaw; Naples Barron Collier held off Sebring by three; and Oakland Park Northeast outlasted Archbishop McCarthy by a pair.

Best Matchup: While the schools may be two-plus hours apart, the Tallahassee Rickards/Jacksonville Riverside game should be an exciting affair.  Usually, when schools from Tallahassee and Jacksonville with rich African-American history matchup, the stands fill up early.  Hopefully, the play on the court will match the intensity of the moment.  Another game of interest will be the contrast in styles taking place when Leesburg hosts Tampa Jesuit.  Leesburg will look to run, but Jesuit has a certain pace they like to play at.  Jesuit has a pair of senior guards that know how to dictate pace.  It will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure of the Yellow Jacket defense.

Best Chance for an Upset: Nothing really jumps out.  It is tempting to go out on a limb with a chain saw and suggest that Northeast has a real chance of knocking off Norland or Barron Collier can go up I-75 in Southwest Florida and eliminate Cape Corla Mariner.  We feel like every 2 vs 3 game is a pick’em.

Our Picks

Daytona Beach Mainland over P’Cola Washington

Tallahassee Rickards over Jacksonville Riverside

Tampa Blake over Wesley Chapel

Leesburg over Tampa Jesuit

Cape Coral Mariner over Naple Barron Collier

St. Petersburg Seminole over Bradenton Braden River

Miami Norland over Oakland Park Northeast

Rockledge over Miami TERRA Environmental