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JUMP BALL: Jacksonville's boys basketball playoffs tip off FHSAA second round

Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
·4 min read

The Florida High School Athletic Association continues the boys basketball regional playoffs with Tuesday night's second-round games across the Jacksonville area.

All games 7 p.m. Tuesday unless noted

REGION 1-6A

Gainesville (18-11) at Ponte Vedra (21-7)

A rematch from last year's regional championship, when the Sharks won 72-61 behind 21 points from Sam Ritchie. Ritchie is scoring steadily this year as well, joining David Sanchez Barrera in an excellent backcourt, while Tyler Cowan continues to shine on the inside. But the Hurricanes are playing their best basketball when it matters most, winning six in a row. Power forward Cornelius White averages 14 points and 7.6 rebounds. The winner plays Friday against Wiregrass Ranch or Gainesville Buchholz.

REGION 1-5A

Riverside (18-8) at Tallahassee Rickards (22-6)

Rickards enters with a seven-game winning streak and already beat the Generals 69-50 in January, including 28 points from Randall Pompey and 19 from Romie Cosby. There's a significant detail for the rematch, though: When Tae'shaun Gelsey is in action, Riverside is a different team. The 6-4 junior wing is up to 10 double-doubles on the season.

REGION 1-4A

Raines (20-7) at Paxon (21-3)

Raines center Makai Purkiss (5) goes up for a shot as Paxon forward Ben Krause (23) attempts to block.
Raines center Makai Purkiss (5) goes up for a shot as Paxon forward Ben Krause (23) attempts to block.

An all-Jacksonville duel. One month ago, they met in a Gateway Conference classic, with Ta'veon Dunbar leading a Viking comeback from 11 points down in the last four minutes to stun Paxon 50-48. Among the key battle zones is the interior, matching Makai Purkiss of Raines against Brysan Yearby of the Golden Eagles. Raines last reached the final eight in 2017, while Paxon got there in 2020.

Ribault (21-7) at Jackson (23-3)

Jackson and Ribault players leap for the opening tip-off in the District 3-4A final on Feb. 10. The Northside schools compete again in Tuesday's regional semifinal.
Jackson and Ribault players leap for the opening tip-off in the District 3-4A final on Feb. 10. The Northside schools compete again in Tuesday's regional semifinal.

The fifth round for the Northside giants. Ribault won in the regular season, but Jackson came out on top in the Northwest Christmas Tournament, Gateway Conference tournament and district championship. As always, the central question: Can anybody keep up with Trojans guard Caleb Williams (area-best 24.2 average)? The senior has seven 30-point games this year, two against Jackson. But the Tigers are deep, with Ronald Durham, Jaylen Dopson and Jahari Simmons only the beginning of the options.

REGION 1-3A

Florida High (18-10) at Providence (22-5)

Providence guard Brady Patterson (3) prepares to shoot against Florida High during the teams' 2023 playoff.
Providence guard Brady Patterson (3) prepares to shoot against Florida High during the teams' 2023 playoff.

It's been tight. Florida High eliminated the Stallions 45-41 in the 2022 regionals, then Providence won a 58-55 OT thriller last February. Size benefits the Seminoles, with Trey Card and Dakota Morris as 6-6 forwards in double figures. But Providence has overcome larger opponents all year with shooting accuracy, all-around cohesion and the deceptively-strong rebounding of guard Chris Arias.

Marianna (26-2) at Episcopal (23-4)

Kent Jackson scored 19 points to help Episcopal to the 62-57 victory against Marianna last year. As long as Jackson and Tampa signee Grady Schwartz are scoring, the Eagles are never easy to beat. Tra'jan Spears averages 17 points for Marianna, which has lost only to Rutherford and Orange Park and enters on a 15-game winning run.

REGION 1-2A

Quincy Munroe (17-8) at Impact Christian (16-10)

The Lions are aiming for their second consecutive regional final visit, and with Taylor Thompson in steady scoring form, they'll be favored to get there. Munroe has plenty of scoring threats, though, including three double-digit scorers (Karlton Knight, Leith Kenon and Zy Reese) and the rebounding presence of J.J. Clayton.

University Christian (16-11) at North Florida Educational (10-13)

After shaking off a five-game January losing skid, can NFEI advance to a third straight final four? Standing in their way is UC, which snapped a three-game skid in the series on Jan. 23 when they defeated the Eagles 52-44. Senior guard Justin Gist scored 13 points to lead 11 UC scorers on the night.

REGION 3-1A

Fort White (17-6) at Hilliard (23-2)

This matchup was all Red Flashes on Jan. 20, a 78-43 romp with a 22-point, 16-rebound double-double by C.J. Hall. But Fort White has already achieved one playoff upset Thursday against Hawthorne, giving them hopes of reaching a first-ever final four. The winners advance to the Class 1A state semifinals at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on March 1, where they will meet an opponent to be determined once the FHSAA re-seeds the final four based on its ranking formula.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: FHSAA boys basketball playoffs 2024: Jacksonville second round preview