Class 5A
The first semi-final featured top seed Pembroke Pines Charter taking on Lecanto. The play in the opening period was a little ragged as both teams struggled to find a rhythm. Lecanto led 9-8 heading into the second period, then Pines Charter took over. The Jaguars outscored Lecanto 27-8 in the second quarter and 18-7 in the fourth, kicking in a running clock with just over three minutes to play, eventually winning 65-32.
Fleming Island vs. Tampa Jesuit was the second semi-final. Tampa Jesuit scored the first five points of the contest, but once Fleming Island got going, there was not stopping them. The Eagles won each quarter and rolled to an 86-58 win. Fleming Island had a 46-26 rebounding advantage to go along with 40-26 points in the paint advantage in the contest.
This set up a potentially very exciting matchup of the #1 and #2 teams in the classification. The game was close throughout, but it was Pines Charter that held the upper hand the vast majority of the contest. Fleming Island was down only two, 33-31 entering the final period and got to within one, 48-47, with thirty-seven seconds left. Pines Charter was able to hold the Eagles off at the foul line from that point to win the Class 5A state title by the score of 52-48. A key stat to the Jaguars’ victory is their 14-5 advantage in second chance points.
All-Tournament Team
Robert Guishard, Pembroke Pines Charter (MVP): The 6’7 senior was solid with 7 points and 15 rebounds in a blow-out semi-final win. His play elevated in a hotly contested title game as Guishard finished with 19 points and 21 rebounds.
Zac Dawson, Pembroke Pines Charter: The 6’0 junior was a consistent double-figure scorer in Jacksonville. Dawson tallied 16 points in the semis and 12 points in the finals. He also played bigger than his size, grabbing 16 rebounds over the course of both games.
Carson Crawford, Fleming Island: The 6’8 junior did all he could to get his team to the winners’ circle. He had 20 points and 9 rebounds in the semis. In the title game, he was the only one on his team to hit double-digits, going for 20 points and adding 6 rebounds to his stat line.
Tyler Caouette, Tampa Jesuit: The 6’3 senior laid it all on the line regardless of the score in the team’s semi-final loss. He finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 3 steals.
Braylen Moore, Lecanto: The 6’0 senior paced Lecanto with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in the team’s semi-final loss.
Class 6A
The first game of the 6A semi-finals featured a pair of Central Florida schools as Lake Howell out of Winter Park took on Evans of Orlando. It was a close contest through the first three quarters. Lake Howell led by a point after one period but at the half it was Evans that was up by three. Lake Howell trimmed the margin to just two, 42-40, entering the final period. Try as the might, the Silver Hawks of Lake Howell could not snatch the lead from the Trojans. Evans outscored Lake Howell 21-11 in the final period to win 63-51.
It was defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas out of Fort Lauderdale taking on Tampa Sickles in the second semi-final. Sickles drained a three twenty-four seconds into the game to take a 3-0 lead. That would be their last as St. Thomas scored the next eleven points of the game, never looking back. A pair of technical free throws at the start of the third quarter for St. Thomas Aquinas kicked in a running clock for the entirety of the second half. STA would win easily by the score of 74-27.
That made the final a rematch of last year’s 6A title game, which STA won in a nailbiter. Evans jumped on top early and led by the score of 14-5 after one period. St. Thomas Aquineas flipped that script in the second quarter, outscoring Evans by twenty points to lead by eleven at the break. STA would win the third and fourth quarters to grab the Class 6A crown by the score of 67-51. STA’s advantage in point from turnovers (15-4) and second chance points (16-4) were each significant contributing factors to their win.
All-Tournament Team
C.J. Westbrook, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas (MVP): The 6’1 junior has been a stellar scorer all season and he was no different in the final four. He led the team with 18 points in the semis and a game-high 21 points in the championship game.
K.J. Sandi, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas: The 6’1 junior popped for double-figures in both games in Jacksonville. He tallied 10 points in the semis then dropped 16 points in the final.
Zane Elliott, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas: The 6’6 senior dual-sport athlete had a modest 8 points and 8 rebounds in the semis. He elevated his play in the finals against a sizable Evans frontcourt, tallying 10 points and grabbing 17(!) rebounds.
Jakai Hardy, Orlando Evans: The 6’1 sophomore was the offensive force for the Trojans in both contests. He had 16 points in the semis and 17 points in the championship game.
Johnas Maurice, Winter Park Lake Howell: The 6’0 sophomore filled the stat sheet in the semis with 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Class 7A
The first semi-final featured nationally ranked Miami Columbus taking on Lake Mary out of Central Florida. Columbus is looking to become the first school in the state’s largest classification to win five consecutive state titles. Lake Mary had never won a regional playoff game until this season. With that in mind, it isn’t surprising that Columbus would hold Lake Mary to thirteen total points in the first half and lead 37-13 at the break. Columbus nearly kicked in the running clock late in the third period, but Lake Mary was able to stave that off and make the final score of 68-42 seem a bit more competitive.
The other semi-final featured Sarasota HS taking on Oak Ridge out of Orlando. Sarasota held a 7-2 lead early on, but Oak Ridge turned the tables quickly to lead 15-9 after one quarter. Oak Ridge led 39-32 heading into the fourth quarter and looked in good shape to reach the final. After Oak Ridge scored the first basket of the final quarter to lead by nine, Sarasota ripped off ten unanswered points to grab the lead. Oak Ridge took the lead back for a moment, but the Sailors of Sarasota took the lead back with a three on their next possession and never lost it again. Sarasota advances to the title game by a score of 53-48.
The title game was competitive throughout. Sarasota had a five-point lead midway through the first quarter, but Columbus stepped it up and led 16-13 after one. Columbus led by five at the break and by the same amount heading into the final period. There were three ties in the fourth quarter, the last one at 48-48 with just under two minutes to play. From there, Columbus scored the game’s next five points, all from the charity stripe, to lead by five with just twelve seconds remaining. Sarasota connected on a pair of free throws to make the score 53-50 in favor of Columbus, securing their spot in Florida high school basketball history.
All-Tournament Team
Felipe Quinones, Miami Columbus (MVP): The 6’5 senior came up big in both contests, leading the team in scoring. Quinones had 17 points to go along with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in the semi-final. He finished with 15 points in the championship game.
Caleb Gaskins, Miami Columbus: The 6’8 senior and Miami signee drew a lot of defensive attention in both games. He handled it well, scoring 14 points and stabbing 7 rebounds in the semi-final then going for 12 points and 6 boards int the final.
Johnny Lackaff, Sarasota HS: The 6’2 junior is the straw that stirs the drink for the Sailors. He put up 16 points, 3 assists and 4 steals in the semi-finals. He had over half of his team’s points, 27, in the finale.
Isaiah Jenkins, Sarasota HS: The 6’8 senior had a productive semi-final with a double double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Whitfield Bynoe, Orlando Oak Ridge: The 6’0 junior led the team with 15 points in the semis.