Playoffs full of big rematches
Wellington, Oxbridge will both face same teams as last year.
T h r e e b oys b a s ke t b a l l t e a ms f ro m P a l m B e a c h County remain alive in the state playoffs.
Wellington, Palm Beach Lakes and Oxbridge Academy won their regional semifinal contests earlier this week and will play tonight for berths in the Florida High School Boys Basketball State Championships in Lakeland.
The Wolverines and ThunderWolves will play familiar opponents. Wellington hosts Coral Springs for the second straight year, while Oxbridge Academy travels to Tampa Catholic for the second consecutive year.
Both the Wolverines and ThunderWolves lost in close contests last season, with Coral Springs prevailing in double overtime and Tampa Catholic winning 59-58.
The Rams did not make the re gional playoffs last season but are coming off a district championship and consecutive wins over Broward County teams to make the regional championship game.
Pal m B e a c h L a ke s l a s t played in the regional finals in 2013, when it lost to Ely in double overtime. The Tigers went on to win the Class 7A state title that year.
He r e ’s ou r p r e v i e w o f tonight’s games. All games tip off at 7 p.m.
Class 9A
Coral Springs (20-7) at Wellington (26-3): Coral Springs went on to win the Class 8A state title after eliminating the Wolverines last year. The Wolverines hope to turn that result around tonight and are riding a wave of momentum. Following a 25-point win against Atlantic in the regional quarterfinals, the Wolverines overcame a seven-point deficit with less than 2 minutes remaining Tuesday to rally past Lake Worth in the regional semifinals. Illinois-bound Trent Frazier had a huge game for the Wolverines with 32 points and 13 rebounds, while Jay Medor added 14 points. Coral Springs is on a five-game winning streak.
Prediction: Wellington
Class 8A
Hollywood-McArthur (20-14) at Palm Beach Lakes (24-3): The Rams knocked off two-time defending Class 7A state champion Pompano Beach-Ely on Tuesday in a thriller and return home. They will face a 20-win Mus- tangs team that beat DavieNova by 12 points in their regional semifinals contest. Palm Beach Lakes doesn’t have a big roster but carries a talented group of players who can shoot, defend and play inside. Senior guard Lavorris Givins is having a standout season and has been at his best when games are on the line. McArthur has played well down the stretch, winning eight of its last 10 games and two in a row since falling to Nova by 19 points in the District 15-8A championship game.
Prediction: Palm Beach Lakes 66-61
Class 5A
Oxbridge Academy (187) at Tampa Catholic (235): The ThunderWolves will hi t t he ro a d f o r a not her long trip to Tampa. These teams met last year in the regional finals, with the host Crusaders edging the ThunderWolves 59-58 to earn a berth in the state semifinals. The ThunderWolves return numerous players from last year’s team, with two of them — guards Keidron Smith and A.J. Cajuste — coming up big Tuesday in Oxbridge’s 72-66 win over Cardinal Newman in the regional semifinals. They will need to be sharp against Tampa Catholic, as will the ThunderWolves’ defense. Crusaders’ small forward Kevin Knox is a fivestar recruit, and the 6-foot-8 senior will provide a formidable challenge on defense. Oxbridge defenders are used to guarding some of the area’s top players and will need a solid game plan in place for Knox.
Prediction: Tampa Catholic 65-60