Boys Basketball District Semifinals

The playoffs are here in Florida high school basketball. All the hard work and practice comes down to the district playoffs. It’s win or go home.

Wednesday, teams will be playing in the district semifinals in an attempt to move one step closer to a district championship. District championships are scheduled for Friday evening.

Featured Games

P.K. Yonge @ Bishop Snyder

P.K. Yonge travels to Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) for the FHSAA Class 3A District 2 semifinals Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Blue Wave are hitting their stride at the right time. P.K. Yonge has won 13 of its last 15 games. With an overall record of 17-8, head coach Boderick Johnson said it’s not how you start but how you finish that matters.

Johnson attributed the teams slow start to a lack of chemistry. The Blue Wave only had three returners this season. However, he said the young players got good experience early on in the year.

Bishop Snyder is 13-11 this season. Being at home tonight should bode well for Cardinals who have a 7-1 home record.

The Cardinals are a tall team. Every member of their team stands at least six feet.

Johnson said that the Blue Wave will have to win the rebound battle to win the game tonight.

Fort Meade @ Hawthorne

Hawthorne holds the No. 1 seed in the FHSAA Class 1A District 8 tournament. The Hornets got a bye straight to the semifinal.

However, Hawthorne has only played 11 games this season. Hornets head coach Greg Bowie said the team pushed back some games because many of their players were still playing football. Hawthorne’s football team lost in the state championship game this year.

In Hawthorne, winning is the expectation. Bowie said that deep playoff runs have become the standard.

Fort Meade is 2-18 this year. Their second win of the season came in the district quarterfinal where they beat Vanguard (Lake Wales) by 27 points. Both of the Miners’ wins came on the road.

Bowie said he expects Fort Meade to come out in a two-three zone. He said a good offensive game should lead to a victory,

Player to Watch

Hawthorne guard C.J. Ingram does it all for the Hornets. The freshman is averaging 13.9 points, six rebounds, six assists and 2.8 steals.

@CIngram_85 @HawthorneHoops @ShotxCoach
(i do not own copyrights to music) pic.twitter.com/kL1qL8AYMg

— Cornelius Ingram II (@IngramCj_) December 18, 2021

Bowie said Ingram has improved since his eighth-grade season and taken on a bigger role.

Ingram was Hawthorne’s starting quarterback last season.

Other Games

• Dunnellon @ Santa Fe
• Buchholz @ Fleming Island
• Dixie County @ Bell
• Baldwin @ West Nassau
• Gainesville @ Forest
• St. Joseph Academy @ Saint Francis Catholic