JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Its the third round of the boys high school basketball state playoffs and seven area teams are in the mix for state semifinal berths. There’s two all-local showdowns on Friday night (Fleming Island at Ponte Vedra, St. Joseph at North Florida Educational), ensuring that the area will be represented next week in Lakeland in Class 6A and 2A.
A glance at Friday night’s games. All begin at 7 p.m.
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Regional finals
Friday night’s games; all at 7 p.m.
Region 1-6A
(3) Fleming Island (16-13) at (1) Ponte Vedra (25-3)
Road here: Fleming d. Lincoln, 53-47; d. Fletcher, 56-49; Ponte Vedra d. Booker T. Washington, 68-35; d. Crestview, 57-49.
Winner gets: The state semifinals will be played March 3 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland and matchups will be reset using MaxPreps ranking points.
Glance: One of two all-local regional finals, which guarantees an area team in the state semifinals. Two very well-balanced teams. The Sharks have four scorers averaging double figures, with Ross Candelino (14.3 pp) and Luke Pirris (11.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg) leading the way. The Sharks have been in this round once before, an OT loss to Zephyrhills in 2016. Fleming has been here one time before, too. The Golden Eagles reached the state semifinals in 2019. Three players have paced Fleming all season, Colton Zapp (12.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Ahman Greenidge (11.8 ppg, 9 rpg) and Antoine Sandy (10.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Fleming’s record is deceptive. Nine of its losses have been by forfeit so it has lost just four times on the court.
Region 1-5A
(3) Pensacola Pine Forest (22-6) at (1) Riverside (24-4)
Road here: Pine Forest d. Rickards, 50-48; d. Ribault, 76-61; Riverside d. Choctawhatchee, 69-34; d. Godby, 67-41.
Winner gets: The state semifinals will be played March 3 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland and matchups will be reset using MaxPreps ranking points.
Glance: The Generals are feeling it. Riverside has pounded its first two playoff opponents, including exacting a measure of revenge against a Choctaw team that ended its season in the third round last year. The Generals are underclassmen-heavy and continue to produce. Dominick Scott (12.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg), Montez Dunson (9.8 ppg), Antonio Harrison (8.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Najai Moody (6.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Zion Pittman (6.6 ppg) lead the junior barrage of Riverside.
Region 1-4A
(3) Bay (24-6) at (1) Jackson (27-2)
Road here: Bay d. North Bay Haven, 61-48; d. Paxon, 49-46; Jackson d. Marianna, 63-60; d. Santa Fe, 56-33.
Winner gets: The state semifinals will be played March 3 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland and matchups will be reset using MaxPreps ranking points.
Glance: The Tigers have become a familiar sight in this round under coach James Collins. This is their fourth straight regional final and they’ve won the previous three. They play far smoother in their second-round game against Santa Fe, crushing the Raiders after getting a scare in their opener. They’ve won 21 consecutive games and appear to be locked in on another trip to Lakeland. Stephon Payne, Michael Swift, Andre Myers and Kevin Odom power a deep Jackson lineup.
Region 1-3A
(2) Florida High (21-7) at (1) Providence (25-4)
Road here: Florida High d. Maclay, 68-39; d. Windermere Prep, 75-44; Providence d. Episcopal, 34-33; d. Bishop Snyder, 48-47.
Winner gets: The state semifinals will be played March 2 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland and matchups will be reset using MaxPreps ranking points.
Glance: The Stallions have won a pair of nailbiters to open the playoffs, and three straight one-point games. Can the underclassmen trio of Jaylen Robinson (11.6 ppg), Mason Lee (10.4 ppg) and Chris Arias (10.2 ppg) keep things flowing here? A win would put Providence in the state semifinals for the first time since 2017.
Region 1-2A
(3) St. Joseph (21-7 at (1) North Florida Educational (23-7)
Road here: St. Joseph d. Impact Christian, 45-44; d. Crossroad Academy, 56-48; NFEI d. University Christian, 63-39; d. Munroe, 58-43.
Winner gets: The state semifinals will be played March 2 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland and matchups will be reset using MaxPreps ranking points. Glance: The second all-local regional final features teams with far different histories. The Flashes are in their first third-round game. NFEI has been a constant in the playoffs in its short history. The Eagles played for a state championship in 2019 and have been in the state semifinals in 2013, ‘17, and ‘18, too. Isaac Tevarus and Tommie Hall are both averaging in double figures in scoring for NFEI. For St. Joseph, Mason Sword has done the heavy lifting. He’s averaging 16.6 ppg and 7.9 rpg.