Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
U-School, Westminster seek state title repeats
Stranahan aims for 1st-ever title in Lakeland this week
Seven Broward or Palm Beach county boys basketball teams earned trips to Lakeland last week, and six still have a chance to bring home a trophy.
Jupiter Christian fell in the Class 3A semifinals on Monday, but six more teams play later this week.
If the Class 6A-4A teams win on Wednesday, they will play in title games on Thursday. If the 9A-7A teams win Friday, they will play in championship games on Saturday.
Here is a look at all six teams’ semifinal match ups. All games are at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Wednesday
Class 4A
Westminster Academy (22-4) vs. Jacksonville University Christian (28-3), 10 a.m.
The Lions are looking to three-peat, and they’ve got the scorers to do it. Sam Griffin, a UT-Arlington signee, is averaging 23.6 points, while Chase Johnston, a Purdue-Fort Wayne signee, is averaging 27.1 points. The Lions have no issue bringing in rebounds, either, as 6-foot-7 senior Anthony Atkinson and 6-foot-9 freshman Benjamin Middlebrooks are both averaging 10 or more rebounds. The Christians do have a 6-foot-7 junior, leading scorer L.J. Hancock, who will need to match up with Westminsters’ big forwards.
Class 5A University School (25-4) vs. The Villages Charter (23-7), 4 p.m.
The Sharks are also looking to repeat as state champions, but there is one hiccup — star center and Duke commit Vernon Carey Jr. might not be able to play. The senior star suffered an ankle sprain in U-School’s regional final win and will be a game-time decision on Wednesday. Carey, the reigning South Florida Sun Sentinel Class 6A-1A Broward County player of the year, is averaging 20.9 points and nine rebounds. If he is out, the Sharks will have to rely on junior star Scott Barnes, and it won’t be easy. The Villages is led by star senior Florida signee Tre Mann, who is averaging 23.9 points.
Class 6A Stranahan (25-6) vs. Brooksville Nature Coast (24-5), 8 p.m.
The Mighty Dragons are not accustomed to deep playoff runs. The last time Stranahan made it to the state semifinals was in 1959. Although it’s already a historically great season for the program, the Mighty Dragons can make it even better by bringing back the team’s first state title. Stranahan is led by guards Brian Dugazon and Dave Herard, as well as forward Inady Legiste. Legiste will have a tough match up with Nature Coast forward Orien Adams, who is averaging 17 points and 16 rebounds.
Friday
Class 7A
Dillard (20-6) vs. Tampa Hillsborough (28-2), 12 p.m.
Unlike Stranahan, DIllard is no stranger to Lakeland, having won seven titles in program history — good for a tie for third-most in state history. This year’s team is led by senior guard Deshawn Bartley, with 13.5 points and 2.9 assists per game. The Panthers also boast forwards Jalen Haynes and Makerere Williams, who are averaging more than 10 points and six rebounds Hillsborough features a balanced offense, led in part by forward Joshua Gloster, who is averaging 11.2 points and 8.9 rebounds.
Class 8A
Blanche Ely (23-6) vs. Windermere (27-4),
4 p.m.
Like Dillard, Blanche Ely has had plenty of success in Lakeland, winning seven championships in the program’s history. Ely, which won the Big 8 championship, is a well-balanced team that can usually count on strong production from senior Joshua Scott and juniors Aderes Staton-McCray and Lamont Evans, among others. But Windermere also has several players they can count on, with four different players averaging between 11.8 and 16.5 points.
Class 9A
Wellington (24-6) vs. Orlando Evans (23-7), 6 p.m.
The Wolverines punched their ticket to Lakeland in a wild fashion. De’ante Perez stole an inbound pass from Cypress Bay and sunk a 40-foot 3-pointer as time expired, breaking a tie and winning the game. Wellington, led by star forward Linton Brown, would like to keep that luck going when the Wolverines face Evans. The Trojans are led by 6-foot-7 senior forward Andy Antoine, who averages 12.5 points and eight rebounds.