Topsy-turvy tournaments
The playoffs start tonight in boys basketball. If the district tournaments are any indication, get ready for some surprising outcomes.
Upsets were abundant in districts last week. Eight area teams that had the top seed lost – either in the semifinals or final. Here is the list.
7A-6
No. 4 East Lake 40, No. 1 Plant 39 (semifinals)
6A-9
No. 4 Gaither 66, No. 1 Leto 57 (semifinals)
6A-11
No. 4 Bradenton Manatee 71, No. 1 Palmetto 66 (semifinals)
5A-9
No. 4 Osceola 49, No. 1 Clearwater 44 (semifinals)
5A-8
No. 4 King 55, No. 1 Jesuit 46 (semifinals)
4A-10
No. 3 Anclote 74, No. 1 Hudson 41 (final)
3A-6
No. 4 Admiral Farragut 67, No. 1 Calvary Christian 66 (semifinals)
2A-10
No. 2 Cambridge Christian 56, No. 1 Universal Academy 47 (final)
Those results created opportunities for some teams to end long playoff droughts. Osceola won its first district title in school history. Gaither took home its first in 18 years. King won its first district title in 12 years.
The district tournament turbulence also helped newly crowned champions that might have been on the bubble making the postseason with an at-large bid secure postseason berths.
Ultimately, that benefitted the area.
After all, there are 23 games involving local teams in the postseason. To find the schedule for tonight’s region quarterfinal matchups click here.
National recognition
Oldsmar Christian currently is ranked No. 18 nationally by MaxPreps. The Eagles are 9-3 in games against Sunshine Independent Athletic Association. They are coached by Jordan Fair, a former standout at the school who went to become an assistant at Louisville before returning to his alma mater. For MaxPreps top 20 national rankings click here.
Athlete update
Former Tampa Catholic standout Johni Broome, who led Morehead State to an Ohio Valley Conference title and an NCAA tournament berth last season, is continuing to shine as a sophomore.
On Wednesday, Broome tied a school record with 12 blocked shots and finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in a win over UT Martin.
For a story on Broome’s stellar freshman season click here.
Another former Crusader, Tai Strickland, scored a career-high 27 points in leading Temple past SMU. Strickland, the son of former NBA guard Rod Strickland, played at St. Petersburg as a senior and helped the Green Devils reach the state semifinals.
