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Girls basketball first-round playoffs: Ribault, BK, Bolles, Ridgeview among FHSAA winners

clayton freeman, jacksonville florida times-union
·4 min read

Gateway Conference opponents Paxon and Ribault played another matchup to remember, with the Trojans surviving a frenetic comeback to win 65-60 in Wednesday night's opening round of the Florida High School Athletic Association girls basketball regional playoffs.

Ribault (16-5) employed its famed pressure to build a 22-point fourth-quarter lead before Paxon (15-9), sparked by 28 points from senior Ansley Hicks, shaved the deficit to four in the closing minutes.

Terryanna Medlock sealed the win with a late steal and led 12-time champion Ribault with 11 points, while Alexzondria Gross and Kayla Massey each tallied 10. Ribault had beaten Paxon in the regular season before the Golden Eagles surprised the Trojans in January's Gateway Conference tournament.

Ribault forward Terryanna Medlock (15) drives into the lane as Paxon center Sharla Adams (45) defends during an FHSAA Region 1-4A high school girls basketball playoff on February 14, 2024. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]
Ribault forward Terryanna Medlock (15) drives into the lane as Paxon center Sharla Adams (45) defends during an FHSAA Region 1-4A high school girls basketball playoff on February 14, 2024. [Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union]

Ribault next makes the trip to top-seeded Bishop Kenny (23-4). The Crusaders had little difficulty in their playoff opener, winning 59-41 against visiting South Walton (12-14) with 20 points from Clare Coyle and 11 from Kathleen Crawley.

Bolles (19-8) came back a winner from the Panhandle, with a 57-44 triumph against host Pensacola (16-9). Center Terrell McCoy led the Bulldogs with 17 points and junior Abby Knauff delivered 15. Zion Perkins scored 11 points to lead Pensacola.

Another Panhandle trip lies ahead for Bolles on Monday against Panama City Rutherford (25-1), a 68-36 winner against Raines. The Vikings' year ends at 15-10.

Pensacola guard Zion Perkins (12) overruns Bolles guard Ella Stakem (4) as she drives into the paint in Wednesday's Class 4A playoff.
Pensacola guard Zion Perkins (12) overruns Bolles guard Ella Stakem (4) as she drives into the paint in Wednesday's Class 4A playoff.

REGION 1-7A

Gateway Conference runner-up Atlantic Coast ended its season in a 61-28 loss to the No. 1 team in Class 7A, Orlando Colonial (24-3). The Stingrays finish their best-ever year at 21-4.

REGION 1-6A

An overtime 3-pointer from Kennedy Rosendahl and clutch foul shots by Maya Richards and Riley Curry helped Ponte Vedra (20-8) to a 46-43 come-from-behind victory against visiting Springstead (21-5).

Rosendahl scored a game-high 17 points for the Sharks, who trailed after each of the first three quarters. For Springstead, Addy Osborne scored 15 points, while J'ziyah Munford and 6-5 center Malanie Francis tallied 10 each.

Beachside fell two points short of its first-ever playoff victory, with a 63-61 loss at Tallahassee Lincoln (22-4). The Barracudas end the year 20-6, while Lincoln will next face Ponte Vedra.

In a game mostly controlled by Lincoln, the Lady Trojans let their lead slip away with five minutes remaining in the Valentine’s Day playoff thriller. Beachside rallied behind 28 points from junior Kendall Kane, while Morgan Cremen added 15 points and Madi Ray tallied 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.

Lincoln regained the lead on two free throws by sophomore guard Jamiya Brown with less than a minute remaining, and the Lady Trojans ultimately clung to victory. Junior forward Amari Johnson led the Lady Trojans with 24 points. Brown followed with 18.

REGION 1-5A

Pensacola Washington's Taniyah Thompson (12) drives to the hoop against Ed White.
Pensacola Washington's Taniyah Thompson (12) drives to the hoop against Ed White.

Ridgeview won an all-local rematch, 43-38 against St. Augustine (18-4). Ridgeview (14-6) earlier won by a near-identical score, 44-38, in December.

The Panthers next face top seed Pensacola Washington (22-1), which continued its hot streak at the expense of White in a 61-26 finish. The Commanders end at 13-13.

REGION 1-3A

No. 1 seed Providence won its private-school rivalry game for the second time in a week, 59-41 against visiting Episcopal (10-17). The Stallions (24-2) march on to Monday's regional semifinal.

Ashlyn Young scored 15 points and Taylor Powers contributed 12 as P.K. Yonge (14-8) edged Bradford 42-38 for the Blue Wave's third victory in the season series. The Tornadoes drop to 14-9.

San Jose Prep (15-9) rolled to a 52-35 victory in Tallahassee against Florida High (12-15). The Storm returns home for a Monday night game against Ocala Trinity Catholic, which routed Oviedo Master's Academy 51-17.

REGION 1-2A

Kelly Cramer scored 17 points and Zariyah Turner finished with 9 points and 13 rebounds to lead St. Joseph (20-6) in a 40-36 win over visiting St. Johns Country Day. Mary Kate Kent, in her final game for the Spartans (19-8), scored 15 points and Sophia Mejias added 12.

The Flashes next take on University Christian (17-6), which advanced by beating Eagle's View 67-23. The Warriors close at 18-7.

Lesly Gonzalez, Sara Araujio Dagba and Anjela Tumsifu each scored 16 points as top seed North Florida Educational Institute pulled away early for the 72-19 win against Quincy Munroe (9-16). The Eagles (14-5), riding a 10-game winning streak, play Gainesville Oak Hall on Monday.

REGION 3-1A

A second-half run broke open a close game for Hawthorne (19-3), winning 38-27 against visiting Hilliard in a regional semifinal. The Red Flashes' year ends at 12-14.

The Tallahassee Democrat contributed to this roundup.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville first-round high school girls basketball results