Boca, Oxbridge set for regional finals

Jupiter cheerleaders finish eighth in national contest.

And then there were two. O n l y B o c a R a t o n a n d Oxbridge Academy (the top two teams in Palm Beach C ount y t hi s s e a s on) wil l take the court to play in the regional finals tonight among the big school classifications. Grandview Prep (Class 2A) also remains alive, and the Pride will play in the state semifinals on Tuesday.

Both games are at 7 p.m.

Class 9A

Boca Raton (24- 6) at Parkland-Douglas (28-2): Boca’s strength lies in its balance. The Bobcats have a lineup full of players who can catch fire and take over a game. Against Wellington in the regional quarterfinals, Boston College signee Grace Marko scored 29 points while junior Hannah Pratt had 16, sophomore Audrey Ramsey and freshman Grace Alfieri had 12, while Harvard signee Rachel Levy scored 11. In the regional semis, Ramsey and Levy took the lead, scoring 19 and 18 points, respectively. Unfortunately for Boca, Douglas has been tough to beat all season. Its only two losses are to other strong Broward teams, DavieNova and Deerfield Beach

Prediction: Douglas 72-67

Class 5A

Tampa Catholic (27-2) at Oxbridge Academy (23-5): The ThunderWolves played their hearts out on Tuesday, just escaping rival Cardinal Newman in the regional semis. Oxbridge has relied on sophomore guards Aaliyah Stanley and Alexa Zaph at times, and both of them delivered. They combined for 38 points against Newman on Tuesday. Like Boca, though, Oxbridge has the ability to spread the ball around and has several other players capable of getting hot and scoring double-digit points. The ThunderWolves will need that Friday. Tampa Catholic has allowed an average of just 37 points per game this year.

Prediction: Tampa Catholic 51-48.

Noteworthy: The Jupiter High School competitive cheerleading team added an eighth-place national finish to a second-place state performance last weekend at the UCA National High School Competitive Cheerleading Championships in Orlando.

The Warriors were one of 51 teams competing in the medium varsity division 1 at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex.

Jupiter advanced through the preliminary and semifinal rounds to earn a berth in the national championship round. The Warriors scored a total of 83.5 points to finish among the top 10. Ravenwood High from Brentwood, Tenn., won the competition with a total of 86.85 points.

This is Jupiter’s third year competing at UCA Nationals, and the first time it has advanced to the final round.

“It was a proud moment to realize we were scoring so close to teams we have always admired,” coach Kim Beine said.

The Warriors changed their competitive cheer routine at the beginning of the school year after a team member was seriously injured in a tumbling accident.

The team chose not to put another cheerleader in her position, and reworked the routine instead.

“In 14 years of coaching, I have never had a team with such resilience, dedication, strong work ethic and heart,” Beine said.

In addition to its eighthplace finish in national competition, Jupiter also won regionals and finished second at the state championships.