CLASS 6A

The upsets came early and our meager record of 11-5 could have been much worse.  In Region One, both the one seed and the four seeds lost at home.  Forest took down Maitland by two and Buchholz won at Milton by three.  In Region Two, Viera travelled inland and took down a resurgent Wekiva team by a pair.  Region Four in South Florida had a pair of surprises.  Boyde Anderson won on the road at Coral Springs in a four vs. five matchup.  Seven seed South Plantation pulled off a stunner on the road at Dwyer, winning by just three points.  Evans’ four-point win over visiting Tampa Gaither and Bartow’s two-point victory at home over Lakeland brought a sigh of relief for the fanbase of those respective schools.

Best Matchup: In Region Two, the Bartow at Orlando Edgewater contest should be one of the better games regardless of classification.  The teams somewhat mirror each other in terms of size, speed, and athleticism.  This is a true “pic ‘em” game and the winner will be a tough out the rest of the playoffs.

Best Chance for an Upset: We’ll give Charlotte a “Puncher’s Chance” of defeating Sickles up in Tampa Saturday night.  Charlotte played a lot of tough games over the course of the season to prepare the Tarpons for games such as this.  The key will be for Charlotte’s guard play to more than offset Sickles’ advantage on the interior.

Our Picks

Buchholz over Forest

Lake Howell over Tocoi Creek

Evans over Viera

Edgewater over Bartow

Sickles over Charlotte

Parrish Community over East Lake

St. Thomas Aquinas over Boyd Anderson

Miramar over South Plantation

CLASS 7A

Another 11-5 result, but who would have guessed that three of the four five seeds would win on the road in each region?  Apopka beat neighboring Lake Brantley, Windermere knocked off Dr. Phillips, and Western defeated Cypress Bay by a single point.  The other four vs five match up was held at five seed Sumner, and they prevailed by four over Lehigh.  In Region Two, a pair of road teams took home victories as Olympia, though higher ranked and the two seed, had to play on the road at district tournament winner Palm Beach Central, winning by eleven.  Wellington, the six seed in Region Two, rolled up the Florida Turnpike and dispatched Jupiter by nineteen.  Lake Mary, the two seed in Region One, survived a two-point game against seven seed Hagerty.

Best Matchup: In Region Four, Coral Glades goes on the road to battle Miami Palmetto in a HIGHLY anticipated match up.  Not only are they the #3 and #2 teams in the classification but also #19 and #17 regardless of class.  Much was expected from Coral Glades this season as they played in many high-profile events while Miami Palmetto has been a bit of a surprise.  We knew they would be good, but they have certainly outperformed everyone’s expectations except their own.

Best Chance for an Upset: We will go with Wellington on the road at Olympia in Orlando, simply because the sixth seed Wolverines are the lowest seed remaining in the bracket.  They have a pedigree of success and a style of play that will be a challenge to the young guns of Olympia.

Our Picks

Winter Park over Apopka

Lake Mary over Atlantic Coast

Oak Ridge over Windermere

Olympia over Wellington

Sarasota over Sumner

Kissimmee Osceola over Tampa Plant

Columbus over Western

Palmetto over Coral Glades