Florida High boys basketball falls in district title match, Rickards, Munroe, Crossroad win titles

It's not often district championship matches feel like a state title game.

Saturday night's 3A District 2 boys basketball final between Florida High and Marianna had that big game feel associated with a state championship game. Pitting two top 10 teams in the 3A Classification against each other, the Bulldogs held off the Seminoles, winning 47-43 to claim the 3A District 2 title.

"We've been in these types of games all year, and that's why we have 10 losses, we've played some really good teams," Florida High head coach Charlie Ward said. "Tonight, defensively we only gave up 47 points, you can't argue with that. We just didn't have it offensively, wasn't our best night."

Battling with the Bulldogs all night, the Seminoles (17-10) trailed for most of the game before regaining the lead late in the fourth quarter. With both programs exchanging scores and free throws in the final quarter of play, Marianna (25-2) got key stops late to seal the win.

This was the second meeting between the two programs, with the Bulldogs winning the first game 81-71 in December. With a dramatic reduction in scoring from the first matchup, Ward credited his team's defense for playing at a high-level Saturday night and feels it wasn't the reason for the loss.

"The defense was on point, that was evident tonight. But there we were turning it over at an alarming rate starting out and that continued throughout the game," Ward said. "Whenever you don't get opportunities at the basket and turn it over, then you have to do more. And we weren't able to do more tonight."

Ranked as the fifth-best team in the 3A Region 1 side of the FHSAA rankings, Ward's Seminoles are heading toward the regional tournament.

With the loss in the district title game, Florida High will likely have to hit the road for most, if not all of its regional games, something Ward thinks the team is prepared for.

"We have a team that's built to win against anyone. So it's just a matter of us going out and making it happen," Ward said. "That's the bottom line."

The Seminoles' regional seeding and opponent will be revealed during the FHSAA bracket release show on Sunday, Feb. 11. With Marianna sitting in the same region, there is a chance that Florida High and the Bulldogs have a trilogy match in the regional tournament.

Boys District title results

1A District 4: Crossroad Acadmey top Franklin County

In its first season in 1A ball, Crossroad Academy are district champions.

Facing Franklin County in the Class 1A District 4 title game, the Scorpions held off a late surge from the Seahawks to hold onto the lead and win 55-50 to claim district gold.

Ranked as one of the top teams in 1A, Crossroad is set for a high seed in the Region 2 bracket of the state tournament and is a top contender for a state championship.

1A District 5: Madison County drop final to red-hot Hillard.

The Cowboys traveled to Hillard on Saturday night for a dual with the Red Flashes in the Class 1A District 5 championship game.

Jumping out to an early seven-point lead in the first quarter, Hillard kept it's foot on the gas for the remainder of the game to claim a 66-40 victory over the Cowboys.

With the regional brackets being revealed on Sunday, the Cowboys will be hoping for an at-large bid to the tournament rather than being left the odd man out.

2A District 1: Munroe beat St. John Paul II in an overtime thriller

Very little could separate Munroe and JPII Saturday night.

Tied at 54 to end regulation, the Bobcats and the Panthers needed overtime to determine the Class 2A District 1 champion. In a defensive battle, Munroe came out on top, winning the district title by a score of 59-57.

Munroe has been one of the most consistent teams in 2A this season, and there is a chance the Bobcats make a long run into the postseason.

With Munroe guaranteed entry to the regional tournament, JPII waits to see if its done enough to gain an at-large bid to the regional tournament. Sitting at eight in the 2A Region 1 ranking, the Panthers could be suiting up for at least one more game this season.

4A District 2: Godby vs. Rutherford

No score currently reported

5A District 2: Rickards roll Columbia to win district title

The Raiders are district champions, winning in convincing fashion.

Hosting Columbia, Rickards jumped out to an early lead in the first half, up 22-9 at halftime. Coming out of the break, the Raiders kept on rolling, eventually winning the 5A District 2 title 49-33.

Not only one of the best teams in 5A Region 1, Rickards is one of the top teams in the entire state for 5A. Likely getting a top seed in the regional tournament, the Raiders are likely heading toward a deep playoff run and a chance to compete for a state championship.

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida High falls to Marianna in district title game, 3 programs win gold