We’ve finally crowned all of the champions in Florida’s eight classifications for boys’ basketball. Last week featured Classes 3A and 4A.
Class 3A
The first semi-final pitted NSU University or “U-School” as it is called taking on nationally-ranked #2 Calvary Christian our of Fort Lauderdale. For three quarters, U-School kept it respectable, trailing by nine at the break and ten with one quarter left to play. Calvary took over in the final period to win big, 79-58. To no one’s surprise, Cayden Daughtry, a 6’1 junior for Calvary, led the team with 33 points. Nearly half of those points (15) came from the foul line.
In the second semi-final, Jacksonville Jackson took on The Villages. This game was close the entire way. Jackson led by just two points heading into the fourth quarter. With five minutes remaining, Jackson had a three-point lead, but it didn’t last and with 2:30 left to play, The Villages had retaken the lead by two points. Jackson tied the game at 52-52 with 1:35 to play. The Villages missed their initial opportunity to break the tie, but Jackson wasn’t successful on their end. With four seconds left, Ethan Bevis, a 6’6 senior for The Villages, was fouled on an offensive rebound. He missed both free throws, but teammate 6’7 junior Jomar Bernard got the offensive rebound. He missed, but Bevis made up for the missed free throws by tipping the ball in before the buzzer to give The Villages a two-point win.
We hoped for a very compelling championship game between two talented teams. In last year’s final, Calvary defeated The Villages on a late shot to claim the title. Coming into the season, we felt (a) Calvary had lost Sean Abaev to graduation and 6’7 Florida State signee Colin Paul to injury and (b) The Villages had everybody on note back and gave the slightest of edges to The Villages.
That turned out not to be the case. Calvary scored the first seven points of the contest. The Villages made a couple of charges, were down just five with two minutes to play until the half, then gave up a 10-2 run to end up down thirteen at the break. The Villages didn’t recover. A running clock kicked in with 6:46 to play and Calvary won easily, 87-51. Once again Daughtry was dynamic with 30 points. As a team, Calvary shot 65% from the field, 42% from three, 84% from the foul line and held The Villages to 39% from the field and 28% from three. Now we have to wait and see where Calvary gets seeded at GEICO Nationals. They are already scheduled to play in the NBAPA Crown event later in the month.
All-Tournament Team
Cayden Daughtry, Calvary Christian (MVP): It isn’t just the number of points that captures attention; it is the efficiency as well. Daughtry shot a combined 20-33 (60.6%) overall and 5-10 from three in the two games at UNF. He also tallied 13 assists compared to just four turnovers and gobbled up 9 steals.
Aiden Bolden, Calvary Christian: The 6’7 senior came up big when it mattered. He shot 11-11 from the field in the title game, scoring 25 points and snaring 7 rebounds. In the semis, he stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks.
Aaron Britt, The Villages: The 6’1 junior led the team in scoring in both games, going for 17 in the semis and 20 in the final.
Javion Davis, Jacksonville Jackson: The 6’1 senior did everything he could and more in the team’s last second loss in the semis. Davis finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.
Ahmed Mustapha, NSU University: The 6’8 junior led the Sharks in scoring in the semi-final loss with 16 points. He also collected 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a pair of blocks.
Class 4A
The first semi-final in Class 4A had top seed Suncoast out of Riviera Beach taking on Boca Ciega from the Tampa Bay area. The Chargers of Suncoast scored within the first seven seconds of the contest and never lost the lead. Boca Ciega was unable to score more than seven points in any quarter until the final one. The running clock kicked in early in the fourth and Suncoast won going away, 63-31.
The next semi-final between Bishop Kenny out of Jacksonville and Atlantic out of Port Orange near Daytona Beach was a bit more competitive, at least for the first period. BK led 8-7 after the first quarter, but Atlantic took control with a 22-11 advantage in the second quarter and never looked back, leading by as much as twenty in the third period before winning by the score of 64-47.
This set up a final between Suncoast and Atlantic. As in the Chargers’ first game in Jacksonville, they never trailed. However, this time they didn’t put the game away until the final period. By forcing 26 turnovers in the contest, Suncoast scored 60 points in the paint alone, 34 off turnovers, winning by a score of 85-62. After a pair of dominating performances, Suncoast captures the Class 4 A state title.
All-Tournament Team
Kyree McKelton, Riviera Beach Suncoast (MVP): The Chargers’ 6’0 senior guard put his fingerprints all over both contests in Jacksonville. In the semis, he tallied 8 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. The finals saw him continue that type of production with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 7(!) steals.
Jamarey Harris, Riviera Beach Suncoast: The 5’11 senior’s numbers were a bit “subdued” in the semi-finals with 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. Harris came up big in the championship game, putting up a team-high 18 points to along with 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in the win.
Emmanuel Martin, Port Orange Atlantic: The 6’7 junior made his presence known in the paint. He put up a double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds in the semis, adding 3 assists and 2 steals. In the final, Martin led the team with 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
Mekhi Yan, Port Orange Atlantic: A consistent producer, the 6’5 senior had 16 points and 6 rebounds in the semis then tallied 12 points and 9 rebounds in the title game.
Drew Jackson, Jacksonville Bishop Kenny: The lone bright spot for BK, the 5’11 junior finished the semi-final game with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.