Boys basketball: Ribault, Providence, Ponte Vedra, NFEI to FHSAA final four

Ribault’s Jeremiah White knocked down a corner three to open a 31-point advantage mid-fourth quarter. The shot sent the crowd into a frenzy, but head coach Charles Showers could only shrug as he walked down the sideline. It was that type of night for his Trojans.

Ribault scored on the opening tip and never looked back as they defeated Bishop Kenny 91-59 to advance to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 4A boys basketball semifinals. Friday night's win came in their home gym, surrounded by roaring fans and cheering supporters.

“All the history, it wasn’t going to let them down,” Showers said after the game with the basketball net hanging from his neck. Ribault’s coaches and players cut down the net after their dominant victory. “That’s almost better than state, to win the last game in your gym with all the history in here. I’m so proud of the guys. They worked their butt off. They deserve it.”

The Trojans blitzed the Crusaders (22-9) from the tip, raising their defensive intensity and driving hard to the lane for layups. Led by George Woods’ 16 points, it was an all-out assault throughout the game.

Kalvin Gilbert had 14 points including a few rim shaking dunks, White had 12, Renard Surrency had 10 off the bench, Kevin Stokes had five and Trojans’ star Caleb Williams had eight points, rounding out a total team effort to secure the Region 1-4A championship.

“It’s a lot because we did this for everybody,” Williams said after the game. “We did this for the Ribault community. When I say Ribault community that means everybody who played in this gym, everybody that went to this school. This is for them.”

The Crusaders came out of the half and tried to cut into the lead, but the size and speed of the Trojans (25-4) gave them fits. Justin Gist scored a game-high 28 including 18 second-half points, but it wasn’t enough as Kenny saw their season end.

“You’ve got to give it up to Bishop Kenny. They had a heck of a season this year. Once you get to this point anybody can win it,” Showers said about the Crusaders.

Now the Trojans turn their attention to the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, where they'll compete in a noon Thursday semifinal against The Villages.

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REGION 1-3A

On his final night on the Providence home court, Mason Lee wasn't going to let his last chance at the final four slip away.

"That's senior leadership," Stallions head coach Jim Martin said. "He willed us to the win tonight."

The University of North Florida-signed forward scored a game-high 26 points and set up the clinching basket, leading the Stallions past reigning Florida High School Athletic Association champion Florida High 55-50 in Friday night's Region 1-3A championship.

Ranked first in Class 3A, the Stallions (28-2) advance to the state semifinal at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, where they'll pursue a fourth state title to go with previous championships in 2010, 2013 and 2015. In a twist, Providence meets Windermere Prep and head coach Brian Hoff, who assisted Martin on two of the state championship squads.

After a wild, back-and-forth end to the fourth quarter and overtime, Lee helped seal the win in the final minute. Up 56-55, Providence's Chris Arias grabbed a defensive rebound and passed to Lee, who found guard David Fonville with a long pass for a layup at the 16.6-second mark.

"I saw him and I trusted him and I knew he was going to make it, so I gave it to him," Lee said.

Florida High's final chance evaporated when a 3-point try clanked off the side of the backboard and Brady Patterson snatched the rebound as the home crowd celebrated victory over the team that eliminated the Stallions 45-41 last year.

Providence rushed out to an 11-0 opening run and a 16-3 lead before Florida High (27-3), led by the lightning quickness of Missouri-committed Anthony Robinson II, began the comeback.

The Seminoles snatched the lead in the third quarter, and the teams went back-and-forth the rest of the way through a chaotic finish — Florida High's Trey Card pulled down a key offensive rebound while holding his shoe, and Marquez Allen forced overtime with 10 seconds to go. Allen also tied the score 55-55 in overtime before Jaylen Robinson's free throw pushed Providence in front.

Anthony Robinson II led Florida High with 14 points in his last game before heading to the SEC, while Allen and Card scored 13 apiece.

"It just felt like a dogfight… we knew it was going to be a great game," Martin said.

REGION 1-6A

The Ponte Vedra boys basketball team (22-6) celebrated the way most teams do after it won its regional championship game against Gainesville, 72-61. Then, reality hit them.

“The first thing out of their mouths was ‘We’re not done,’” coach Ben Wilson said. “‘This isn’t enough. We did this last year. We want more.’”

With the win, Ponte Vedra will battle Wekiva (26-4) at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Lakeland's RP Funding Center with Dwyer (27-1) and Wharton (24-6) squaring off in the other semifinal.

The Sharks already had the regional championship party, he added. Been there, done that. That is now the expectation.

“We’re trying to come back to something we lost last year, which is the championship game,” said senior Israel Nuhu, who racked up 14 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. “We’re back to states. That’s what we wanted.”

Since a 53-49 loss to Martin County in the 6A championship game last year, they’ve been eager to get back to that game. They need redemption.

“When you get there and you fall short, it’s a bummer,” senior guard Nathan Bunkosky said. “It hurts. It’s always like, what could’ve been."

After an early Sharks lead, Gainesville regrouped and outscored Ponte Vedra 19-11 in the second quarter to make it a one-point game. Hurricanes senior guard Theo Stephens scored four of his game-high 23 points to end the half. Center Josh Hayes added 15 points.

The Sharks ignited again with a 19-12 third quarter and clinched their Final Four berth. Senior guard Sam Ritchie led the team with 21 points and four assists. Bunkosky tallied 17 points, six assists and two steals.

Ponte Vedra rediscovered its shot from deep, netting 12 of their 20 3-point attempts. It hadn’t shot that well since their district semifinal win against Orange Park — four games ago — when it went 9 for 20 from distance.

“I love where my team is right now,” Wilson said. “It’s all in together. It's on the same page. Just dialed in.”

Myer Lee/St. Augustine Record

REGION 1-5A

Daytona Beach Mainland beat third-seeded Columbia 35-34 Friday at home to clinch the regional title and a berth in the state Final Four. Mainland, the top seed in Region 1, will take on St. Petersburg Thursday in Lakeland.

Columbia's Isaac Broxey drove into the paint and lofted a layup with the Mainland defense draped over him, but it bounced off the glass and Mainland's Angelo Mack grabbed the rebound as time expired.

The Bucs (24-5) swung the momentum toward their bench with a dominant, 15-4 third quarter, spurred by two 3-pointers from Newland and a one-handed dunk by junior Narayan Thomas. After opening the fourth down 29-18, the Tigers began chipping away at Mainland’s lead. They cut it back to single digits — 32-24 — with 3:49 left in the game and to 32-28 with two minutes to go.

The Bucs’ semifinals appearance will be their first since 1998, when they won their last 5A championship. Their coach, Joe Giddens, played on three Final Four teams in the mid-1990s, including two state title wins as a junior and senior in 1995 and 1996.

“Man, I’m so proud of my guys,” Giddens said. “These guys have been working their butts off since the summer. I’m so happy. I don’t even know what to say. It’s awesome. I’m so happy for them that they get the chance to experience what I experienced as a player.”

The Tigers (20-10) fell short in a wild finish. With 43 seconds remaining, Mainland senior Clayton Cornett went one-of-two from the free-throw line to make it a 35-32 game. Broxey hit two free throws for Columbia with 13 seconds remaining.

The Tigers intentionally fouled Mack, who stepped to the line for a one-and-one. But the Bucs jumped into the lane early, waving off the free throw and giving the ball back to Columbia with nine seconds left. That set up Broxey's near-miss.

Mack and DeAndre Newland each had eight points to pace the Bucs.

Chris Vinel/Daytona Beach News-Journal

REGION 1-2A

Back in the final four, too, will be North Florida Educational Institute.

The road warrior Eagles, who played their entire postseason away from home, completed their regional journey with a 55-46 win over Impact Christian (20-9) at Faith United Methodist Church on the Southside.

NFEI (22-8), which reached the 2022 semifinal before losing in overtime to Weston Sagemont, will head to Lakeland for a rematch with Sagemont at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school boys basketball 2023: Jacksonville regional final playoff winners