CLASS 4A

Things didn’t go totally as planned Tuesday night.  We finished with a blasé’ record of 5-3 as both Jacksonville Raines and North Broward Prep each went on the road and won by just two points.  In Central Florida, The Villages Charter surprisingly won big against the region’s top seed in Lake Highland Prep.  Only Region 3 will have a #1 vs #2 final in St. Pete Gibbs and Fort Myers Gateway.  In Region 1, neighborhood rivals Jacksonville Jackson and Jacksonville Raines is a 1 vs 3 matchup as is Hialeah Mater Lakes and North Broward Prep in South Florida’s Region Four.  Palm Bay, the two seed in Region 2, hosts four seed The Villages in a matchup of programs probably a year or two ahead of schedule.

Best Matchup: We kind of like the contrast in styles of the Mater Lakes/North Broward Prep matchup.  Overall, NBP is bigger, with a frontline of 6’8, 6’7, and 6’6.  Those players are versatile, can play inside or out, and stretch the defense.  Conversely, Mater Lakes has the edge when it comes to overall quickness and athleticism.  The Bears have proven they can win against a variety of competition.  It should be very interesting contest Friday night.

Best Chance for an Upset: If The Villages can go on the road and get a win in the regional semifinals, whose to say they can’t do so in the finals.  They certainly have a depth and size advantage against Palm Bay and the backcourt of Ben Koubek and Adyn Corbin have the experience to keep the young guns on their team in the right frame of mind.  Also, when rivals collide like Jackson and Raines, anything can happen.

Our Picks

Jacksonville Andrew Jackson over Jacksonville Raines

Palm Bay over The Villages Charter

St. Petersburg Gibbs over Fort Myers Gateway

Hialeah Mater Lakes over Coconut Creek North Broward Prep

CLASS 5A

We somehow came away unscathed with our picks.  Only three of the eight games were close.  Riverside came from Jacksonville to take on Tally Rickards and fell by a mere three points.  In Central Florida, Leesburg held on to win by just four while on the Bayside of the state, Seminole was able to send Braden River packing by just two points.  The only regional final that will not be a 1 vs 2 is in Region 4 where Rockledge has to travel down to top seed Miami Norland.

Best Matchup: That Norland/Rockledge matchup looks to be the game of the night in 5A.  The matchup of Ryan Blount, a 6’6 senior and one of the top scorers in the state this year, and Marcus Allen, a 6’6 senior, Missouri signee, and known for his defensive prowess, is enticing in and of itself.  Norland has another D-I signee in Tristan Wilson (Presbyterian) and it will interesting to see who steps forward for Rockledge to meet that challenge. Oh, and Norland’s Lawton Williams only has six titles to his credit.

Best Chance for an Upset: Leesburg has a more than legit shot to go into Tampa Blake and come out with a win.  In these playoffs, Leesburg has shown that it can make threes, apply defensive pressure, and overcome runs by the opponent without losing composure.  Blake has a definite advantage along the frontline, but those guys like to float outside and tend not to take advantage of their size mismatch.  Depth is a question mark for each team, so if foul issues mount for either club, they will be at a disadvantage.

Our Picks

Daytona Beach Mainland over Tallahassee Rickards

Tampa Blake over Leesburg

Cape Coral Mariner over St. Petersburg Seminole

Miami Norland over Rockledge