Flashes in the final: 15-0 run sparks Hilliard past Crossroad in boys basketball semifinal

For the first time in 2024, Hilliard didn't hit the 50-point mark.

Thanks to their defense, it didn't matter.

The Red Flashes locked down the defensive end and found their scoring rhythm in the fourth quarter to pull away from a stubborn Quincy Crossroad Academy, 49-36, in Friday's Florida High School Athletic Association boys basketball semifinal.

C.J. Hall's layup ignited a 15-0 run and Hilliard shut out the Scorpions for six straight minutes, wrapping up a complete day for the junior: 11 points, 10 rebounds, five steals, four assists and three blocks.

Hilliard's reward: an 8 p.m. Saturday matchup against state No. 1 Williston at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, where they'll have a chance to lift their first FHSAA championship since 1963.

Normally averaging over 65 points per game, the Red Flashes found a different way to win.

Crossroad Academy (18-7) had closed within 34-33 on Myron Tennell's 3-pointer with just over six minutes to go, before Hilliard took command by forcing five turnovers in the space of three and a half minutes.

Malcolm Warthen overcame turnover issues of his own to tally a game-high 16 points for the Red Flashes (25-2), while Brandyn Seldomridge scored 10 points and Kevin Thomas finished with 9 points and 10 boards. Tennell scored 11 points and Ja'Mari Favors added 10 for Crossroad.

Hilliard stretched its winning streak to 18 games entering Saturday night's clash with reigning champion Williston (28-2), which has won its last 10 and routed Chipley 63-30 in Friday's early semifinal.

The Red Flashes' 8 p.m. basketball final will be the third for Northeast Florida on Saturday in Lakeland, following the Bishop Kenny girls (Class 4A, 12:30 p.m., vs. Lake Highland Prep) and the Jackson boys (Class 4A, 3 p.m., vs. St. Petersburg Gibbs). Ponte Vedra girls soccer (Class 6A, 10 a.m., vs. East Lake) and Creekside girls soccer (Class 7A, 4 p.m., vs. Boca Raton) also play for state championships Saturday in DeLand.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hilliard-Crossroad Academy: FHSAA high school boys basketball playoff