Second-Half Blitz Puts Buchholz Boys Basketball in Region Final

The Buchholz Bobcats got their revenge Saturday. The five seed Bobcats had a dominant second half to defeat eight seed Ocala Forest 57-39 in the FHSAA Class 6A Region Semifinals.

Buchholz (21-7) trailed after the first quarter, but took control behind a strong performance from senior Jamison Mctureous’s 21 points in avenging a 55-53 loss to the Wildcats (18-9) in last season’s playoffs.. 

Forest led 10-9 at the end of the first quarter. Junior Jacob Bromirski and senior Evan Walker scored early for the Bobcats by combining for nine points. 

The Bobcats’ success came from a team effort at Bud Seymour Gymnasium.

“It’s not a one-man game, it’s a five-man game. We all played our parts, and we all did our job to get the win,” Walker said. 

The Bobcats took control in the second quarter. Jamison Mctureous scored 10 points to help the Bobcats take a 23-18 lead into halftime. 

Buchholz then outscored Forest in the third quarter 23-10. Bromirski knocked down two 3-pointers to set the tone while the Bobcats built a 46-28 advantage heading into the final period. 

Buchholz maintained control in the fourth quarter. Mctureous added seven more points and Bromirski contributed four as the Bobcats closed out the victory. 

 Fifth-year Buchholz  coach Elliot Harris said the Bobcats stuck with what has worked all season. 

“So we’re going to take Monday off, get our legs back, and then sharpen our sword and get ready for whoever we got next,” Harris said. “Going into next week, you got to watch film, and you pay attention to details and you do what you do best. 

“You don’t change the game plan. What you’ve done all year long that’s made you successful. You stay, you stick and stay with what you got.”

The Bobcats will play at the two seed Winter Park Lake Howell Silverhawks (24-5) for the region title at 7 p.m. Saturday. Lake Howell eliminated three seed St. Augustine Tocoi Creek in overtime 82-77 in the other region semi. The winner would advance to the state final four March 12 at UNF Arena on the University of North Florida campus in Jacksonville.

2026 FHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship Tournament Class 6A

Category: Basketball, Buchholz High School, High School Sports