Oak Ridge vs. Windemere; OCP 46-1 regional streak on the line
Windermere and Oak Ridge shook up the FHSAA Class 7A boys basketball state tournament by taking out two of the top four ranked teams on Tuesday night.
But the Wolverines’ 66-51 win at No. 3 Olympia and the Pioneers’ 79-64 road win against No. 4 Lake Worth weren’t huge surprises in a Region 2 bracket that boasted four of the top seven in the classification.
“We knew all along that when they put Windermere, us and Olympia all in the same district, it could go any way on any given night,” Oak Ridge coach Steve Reece said. “Three really good teams. Well-coached teams with extremely good talent.”
No. 5 Oak Ridge hosts No. 7 Windermere on tonight with the region title and a state tournament berth on the line. It’s the only final out of 24 in classes 2A through 7A that does not have a No. 1 or 2 seed but the talent level is high.
Oak Ridge sophomore point guard Jalen Reece is averaging 13.2 points and 8 assists, according to team stats. And the cast of junior prospects includes Windermere scoring leaders Ta’Veon Jones (16.6 ppg) and Chalier Torres (14.9); and Oak Ridge standouts Tyler Johnson (17.6), Jordan Tillery (14.4), Cam Simpson (13.3) and Elijah Elliott (10.0).
The Pioneers beat Windermere 62-56 in a December game and 70-55 in a district tournament semifinal. Oak Ridge also defeated the Wolverines 70-51 in a 2020 region final and won a 2021 region quarterfinal matchup 68-58.
There are five other finals involving Orlando area teams. Three-time defending 2A state champ Orlando Christian Prep hosts a dangerous foe in Lakeland Victory Christian, which beat Central Florida Christian Academy on a buzzer-beater Tuesday.
Victory junior Lorenzo Cason, a 6—foot-3 guard, averaged 27.5 points per game in the regular season and scored 57 in a 93-87 win against state-ranked Auburndale. He had 41 in a win over Ocoee, 39 in an 84-76 regular season win against CFCA and 25 in a 56-53 victory vs. Olympia.
OCP has a 46-1 regional record across 16 seasons since its hoops dynasty lifted off with the first of its 10 state championships in 2009. The Warriors have reached the FHSAA state tournament 14 times in the past 15 years.
The FHSAA state tournament is Wednesday-Saturday in Lakeland.
Statewide, 22 of the 24 No. 1 seeds in classes 2A through 7A remain alive.
SIAA final
Orlando’s West Oaks Academy and Central Pointe Christian of Kissimmee will play for the Sunshine Independent Athletic Association championship game on Sunday at 3 p.m. at DME Academy in Daytona Beach.
Both won two best-of-three playoff series to advance to the final.
West Oaks is in the SIAA final for the fourth time in five years. Leading seniors for the Flame include former Edgewater guard Jaylin Smith and Paul Djobet, a 6-6 guard also in his first season at West Oaks.
Tonight’s region finals All games start at 7
CLASS 7 A REGION 1
No. 2 seed Evans (17-10) at No. 1 Colonial (23-6)
Buzz: Colonial hopes to hang its first boys basketball region title banner. But Trojans topped Grenadiers 62-55 in the regular season.
CLASS 7 A REGION 2
No. 4 seed Windermere (21-7) at No. 3 Oak Ridge (18-9)
Buzz: Nine players averaging double-digit points, according to the team stats, including seven underclassmen. High-voltage talent.
CLASS 6 A REGION 2
No. 2 Lakeland (24-4) at No. 1 Wekiva (25-4)
Buzz: Mustangs are No. 3 and Dreadnaughts No. 5 in state rankings, making this 6A’s best Sweet 16 matchup on paper.
CLASS 5 A REGION 2
No. 3 Tampa Jesuit (23-6) at No. 1 Jones (15-11)
Buzz: Tigers vs. Tigers rematch. Jones won 65-54 in region quarterfinal last season en route to state semifinal appearance.
CLASS 3 A REGION 3
No. 3 King’s Academy (27-1) at No. 1 Windermere Prep (22-7) Buzz: Ninth-graders Brandon Bass Jr. (17.4 ppg) and 7-footer Sinan Huan (5 bpg) key for top-seed Lakers.
CLASS 2 A REGION 2
No. 2 Victory Christian (25-5) at No. 1 Orlando Christian Prep (23-3)
Buzz: OCP is No. 1, Victory No. 3 in state rankings. Warriors’ four-year, 25-game playoff win streak is on the line in a Final Four worthy showdown.