Metro Conference foes ready for showdown
Three of the top four teams in the Sentinel Super Six girls basketball rankings play for district titles tonight. Two of those teams are vying for the same championship.
No. 3 West Orange (21-4) hosts the Class 9A, District 3 final against No. 4 Wekiva (20-5) at 7 p.m. Those Metro Conference rivals split games in the regular season.
No. 1 Lake Highland Prep (19-4) plays Jones (16-8) for the 5A-6 championship at The First Academy at 7.
Second-ranked Timber Creek hosts the 9A-4 final on Friday night.
Ailing Apopka at Windermere:
Class 9A boys basketball state contender Apopka (21-2) is winning while limping. The Blue Darters, winners of 13 consecutive games, have three key players injured or ill going into a road game tonight against 8A contender Windermere High (20-4).
Apopka has been without 6-foot-7 junior Zach Anderson for most of its past five games. Sophomore point guard John Latimer III was added to the injured list when he was accidentally elbowed in the face late in a win at The First Academy last Saturday.
Apopka coach Scott Williams said senior standout Nathan Louis is expected to join Anderson and Latimer as spectators for tonight’s game and a Saturday game vs. Haines City at the Mosaic Stinger Shootout. Louis is suffering from flu-like symptoms.
The good news is that Keeving Etienne, a 6-5 senior, is back from injury.
West Oaks hosts SIAA event:
West Oaks Academy will host a Sunshine Independent Athletic Association Crossover boys basketball event Friday and Saturday. It’s a first for the Orlando private school, which replaced its old tile floor with a polyurethane rubber floor last summer.
Play tips off with five Friday games, starting at 12:30 p.m. and wrapping up with a 7 p.m. game matching West Oaks against The Rock of Gainesville.
Downey Christian plays at 2, Central Pointe of Kissimmee at 4, and DME of Daytona Beach at 5:30.
The four-game Saturday slate starts with Central Pointe vs. Downey at 12:30 and ends with West Oaks against Inspire Academy of Orlando at 5.
Admission is $10.
Montverde jets to Jersey:
Montverde Academy (19-2) completes its boys basketball regular season with games against New Jersey’s two top-ranked teams in the Metro Classic in Union, N.J., this weekend.
The Eagles face No. 1 Ranney School (19-2), with five-star guard and Villanova signee Bryan Antoine, on Friday night and play No. 2 Roselle Catholic (20-2) on Saturday night.