Palm Beach County teams to watch

Benjamin: The Buccaneers have one of the county’s best one-two punches in Fab Five selection Taylor Blackshear and firstteam All-County pick Jasmine Patrick. Last year, those two players helped lead Benjamin to the regional finals. Blackshear and Patrick will have to play a big role if the Buccaneers want to take the next step and make it to Lakeland.

King’s Academy: The Lions have a talented team with a mix of upper- and underclassmen, and this could be the year they take the next step. Senior Mo’Nique Joseph, who was a first-team All-County pick last year, averaged a double-double in 2020-21. She teams with junior forward Jordan Race and freshman standout Jade Jones on what should be a solid team. King’s Academy edged out Benjamin for a district title, but the Lions fell to the Buccaneers in the second round of the postseason. They will look to move past Benjamin and move into a spot as Palm Beach County’s top small school.

Palm Beach Lakes: The Rams were among the state’s best teams last year, going 12-2 and reaching the state semifinals. But Lakes graduated two key players: Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 7A-6A player of the year Zaida Gonzalez and All-County first-team pick Deborrah Seitu-Redmon. Lakes will have to replace their production somehow, but longtime coach Cassandra Rahming typically gets her team into the right spots.

Seminole Ridge: Small rosters have not kept Maria Hudson’s Hawks squads from being among the best in Palm Beach County the last few years, and this season will likely be the same. Despite having only seven players on the team, Ridge does have two of the area’s top players. Seniors Aspen Johnson (a Fab Five pick) and Ashley Thornton are poised for big seasons, but the Hawks will have to find production from some of the younger players on the team — four of the seven players are freshmen.

Spanish River: The Sharks team two of the best players in Palm Beach County in their backcourt: All-County first-team selection and Fab Five pick Aly Avrach and Next Five selection Sophie Levine. Those two, along with All-County honorable mention Mya Quinn, will look to lead Spanish River past the first round of the playoffs, where they were eliminated last season.