JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Impact Christian, Jackson, Lee and West Nassau are the area’s lone survivors in the boys basketball state playoffs.
One more victory, and each will punch their ticket to the state semifinals.
Super 6 regular season No. 1 Jackson settled the score with No. 2 Bishop Snyder, ending the Cardinals’ season with a dominant 58-37 win in the Region 1-3A semifinal. The Tigers had lost the district title game to Snyder by six points but rolled in the rematch.
Visiting Lee ended Ponte Vedra’s season in the Region 1-5A semifinals, knocking off the Sharks 53-44. The Sharks’ season ends at 22-5. Lee moves on to host Friday’s regional final against Choctawhatchee.
West Nassau hung on until the finish and edged visiting Paxon 53-51 in the Region 1-4A semifinals. The game wasn’t without drama.
Quinnton Jackson hit a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded that would have won the game, but the officials ruled that the shot came after the horn. A screen grab from the game shows the ball leaving Jackson’s fingertips with 0.1 on the clock clearly visible in the background.
West Nassau’s Deebo Coleman finished with 18 points and now has 2,472 in his career. He’s 33 points away from tying former Nease star Chet Stachitas (2,505) for second in area scoring history.
It marks the first time that the Warriors have won two games in the playoffs as their winning streak hit 13 games. The Golden Eagles’ season ends at 20-8 and denies them a third straight season of reaching the state final four.
Impact Christian weathered a late University Christian comeback attempt and topped the visiting Christians 52-46 in Region 1-2A and continued their dominance in the playoffs. In Impact’s brief history, the Lions have played for two state championships.
Columbia and Fletcher’s seasons ended on Tuesday night in the Region 1-6A semifinals. The Senators dropped a 63-50 game at Ocala Forest, while the Tigers (20-6) couldn’t get past Tallahassee Lincoln in a 49-41 loss.
Bartram Trail dropped its second-round game in the Region 1-7A semifinals, falling to Sanford Seminole 72-49. The Bears’ season ends at 14-14.
Boys
Regional semifinals
Tuesday’s results
Region 1-7A
Seminole 72, Bartram Trail 49
Region 1-6A
Tallahassee Lincoln 49, Columbia 41
Ocala Forest 63, Fletcher 50
Region 1-5A
Lee 53, Ponte Vedra 44
Region 1-4A
West Nassau 53, Paxon 51
Region 1-3A
Jackson 58, Bishop Snyder 37
Region 1-2A
Impact Christian 52, University Christian 46
Regional finals
Friday’s schedule
Region 1-5A
Choctawhatchee (24-2) at Lee (19-9)
Region 1-4A
Marianna (23-3) at West Nassau (19-11)
Region 1-3A
Jackson (18-6) at Trinity Prep (9-8)
Region 1-2A
St. John Paul II (10-11) at Impact Christian (18-8)