High School Regional Final Recap

In the Gainesville area, there were two high school regional final games Tuesday night. The two games were Branford Buccaneers vs. Trenton Tigers and Hawthorne Hornets vs. Wildwood Wildcats. There will be one game tonight between Navarre Raiders vs. Buchholz Bobcats at 7 p.m.

Navarre Raiders (18-6) vs. Buchholz Bobcats (15-4)

Buchholz Bobcats defeated Milton Panthers 37-21 last week to advance to tonight’s regional matchup against the Raiders. The Bobcats will need senior guard Jasmine Harkness and junior point guard Emonie McCallum to help lead the team on the ball’s offensive side to help their team move onto the next round.

The Bobcats will also need to rely on sophomore guard Toni Davis and junior forward Tyra Peterson to help stop Navarre’s leading scorer Rachael Leggett. If Buchholz can play well defensively, they will seal their ticket to the final four in Lakeland, Florida.

Navarre defeated the Colombia Tigers in their last matchup 71-42. The Raiders will need to rely on their leading scorer Rachael Leggett to contribute on the boards and the scoring column if the Raiders are planning on advancing to the Final Four in Lakeland next week.

Buchholz girls are playing in the 2nd round of the state playoffs. Check out our live audio coverage! pic.twitter.com/EotWvM8x9j

— The Prep Zone (@ThePrepZone) February 17, 2021

Branford  Buccaneers (13-6) vs. Trenton Tigers (23-4)

The Trenton Tigers defeated the Branford Buccaneers 58-44. Junior shooting guard Bri Becker led the team with a double-double, scoring 25 points and 14 rebounds. Becker also had eight assists helping advance her team to the Final Four In Lakeland at the RP Funding Center.

@ThePrepZone @scottlapeer Trenton 58 Branford 44 Final score Girls Basketball pic.twitter.com/5HbX9gwU6j

— Matthew Kilgore (@MatthewKilgore4) February 17, 2021

Trenton’s defense did a fantastic job of stopping Branford’s offense, holding them to only one point in the second half. The Tigers also held senior Cera McElreath and Kayla Desmartin scoreless in the first half. Mcelreath usually averages 19 points per game, and Desmartin usually averages 13 points per game this season.

Hawthorne Hornets (19-4)  vs. Wildwood Wildcats (18-4)

The Hornets defeated Wildcats 47-29 Tuesday night. Sophomore guard Kentavia Hagins led the team in scoring with 14 points, and senior center Mya McGraw had 12 points to advance the Hornets to the final four next week.

THE LADY HORNETS ARE HEADED BACK TO STATES 🐝💍

Hawthorne beats Wildwood 47-29 to earn the 1A Regional Title!

Kentavia Hagins 14 PTS@MyaDianeMcGraw1 12 PTS#RAWE 🌋 pic.twitter.com/7IafPEqYSf

— Reaching Athletes With Education (@RAWE_RECRUITS) February 17, 2021

Lakeland Final Four

The 2019 state champion Tigers (23-4) will face the 1A state champion Hawthorne (18-4) in the state semifinal Wednesday at 8 p.m.