Boys Basketball State Semifinals
All games at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Admission is $15 on the day of the event. Parking is $10.
Class 5A
Blake (26-5) vs. Miami Norland (20-10), 8 p.m. tonight
How they got here: Blake d. Zephyrhills 77-43, d. Wesley Chapel 67-52, d. Leesburg 56-41, d. Daytona Beach Mainland 53-40. Miami Norland d. Somerset Academy 74-67, d. Oakland Park Northeast 60-50, d. Rockledge 69-48, d. Cape Coral Mariner 53-37.
Stat Leaders
| Category | Blake | Norland |
| Points per game | Joshua Lewis, 16.8 | Marcus Allen, 18.6 |
| Rebounds per game | Joshua Lewis, 9.2 | Marcus Allen, 10.7 |
| Assists per game | Kentrell Martin, 3.4 | Lorenzo Major, 4.8 |
| Steals per game | Justin Merritt, 4.0 | Marcus Allen, 1.9 |
| Blocks per game | Joe Philon, 3.6 | Kendrick Preston, 2.6 |
Outlook
The Yellow Jackets are in the state championship game for the first time since the school reopened in 1997. On Wednesday, Blake played in the state semifinals for first time since 2011, knocking off defending state finalist Daytona Beach Mainland 53-40. That win helped the Yellow Jackets gain a ton confidence heading into another matchup with a formidable foe. After losing to the eventual state champion in the region final each of the last two seasons, the Vikings finally cleared by getting to the state semifinals and advancing to the title game. Norland, ranked No. 1 in the class and No. 9 overall in the state by MaxPreps, has won six straight games — five by double digits. To win, Blake will count on the production from Joshua Lewis and Joe Philon. Lewis, ranked as a top 60 athlete in the 2025 class by ESPN, has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Mississippi, South Florida and Virginia Tech. Philon, a rising star in the 2026 class, has an offer from the Bulls. They were the Yellow Jackets’ top two leading scorers in the semifinals (Lewis finished with 24 points and Philon added 12).
