Mike Ridaught
City rivalries are special.
When there is a district championship on the line, they are extraordinary.
That’s what the city of Gainesville will get on Friday night after the Gainesville and Buchholz boys basketball teams each won their district semifinal game on Wednesday night.
Leading scorer Theo Stephens was unavailable but top seed GHS still easily handled No. 5 seed Leon (Tallahassee), 61-42, at home in a Class 6A-District 2 semifinal. It was the 20th win of the season for the Hurricanes (20-6), who were led in scoring by Josh Hayes with 21 points.
In the other semifinal, Ryan Webster led Buchholz (13-13) with 30 points as the No. 2 seed Bobcats advanced with a 74-60 win at home against Lincoln (Tallahassee).
“We were able to take advantage of their pressure by staying aggressive and made some timely stops,” said Buchholz coach Blake Golden.
The Hurricanes and Bobcats will now play each other for the Class 6A-Distrcit 2 title on Friday night.
This will be the third meeting between the two rivals with Gainesville winning at Buchholz on Jan. 6 and at home on Jan. 27.
Stephens, who leads the Hurricanes in scoring with an average of 16.6 points per game, will return Friday for GHS.
That’s one big Alachua County showdown on Friday, but there’s another.
In Class 1A-District 6, Newberry advanced to the title game with a 65-51 win against No. 4 seed Union County (Lake Butler) in the semifinals.
The top-seeded Panthers (21-5), who are ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 1A by MaxPreps, will host No. 2 seed Hawthorne for the district title on Friday night in Newberry.
The Hornets (8-6), who are ranked seventh in 1A, defeated No. 3 seed Fort White, 53-41, in the other semifinal.
BOYS (District Tournament results for Wednesday, Feb. 8)
6A-District 2 Semifinals
No. 1 Gainesville 61, No. 5 Leon (Tallahassee) 42
No. 2 Buchholz 74, Lincoln (Tallahassee) 60
Friday, Feb. 10 – Championship
No. 2 Buchholz at No. 1 Gainesville, 7 p.m.
5A-District 2 Semifinals
No. 1 Columbia (Lake City) 87, Ridgeview (Orange Park) 34
Friday, Feb. 10 – Championship
No. 2 Rickards (Tallahassee) at No. 1 Columbia (Lake City), 7 p.m.
4A-District 5 Semifinals at Santa Fe (Alachua)
No. 2 North Marion (Citra) 80 No. 3 Palatka 52
No. 1 Santa Fe (Alachua) 57, No. 4 Eastside 29
Friday, Feb. 10 – Championship
No. 2 North Marion (Citra) at No. 1 Santa Fe (Alachua), 7 p.m.
3A-District 2
Friday, Feb. 10 – Championship
No. 2 Interlachen at No. 1 P.K. Yonge, 6 p.m.
2A-District 4 Semifinals at Redeemer Christian (Ocala)
No. 1 Oak Hall 70, St. John Lutheran (Ocala) 24
No. 2 Redeemer Christian (Ocala) 58, No. 3 Saint Francis Catholic 34
Friday, Feb. 10 – Championship
No. 2 Redeemer Christian (Ocala) at No. 1 Oak Hall, 7 p.m.
1A-District 6 Semifinals (at Higher Seeds)
No. 1 Newberry 65, No. 4 Union County (Lake Butler) 51
No. 2 Hawthorne 53, No. 3 Fort White 41
Friday, Feb. 10 – Championship
No. 2 Hawthorne at No. 1 Newberry, 7 p.m.
1A-District 7 Semifinals (at Higher Seeds)
No. 1 Wildwood 72, No. 4 Chiefland 57
No. 2 Williston 79, No. 6 Bronson 48
Friday, Feb. 10 – Championship (at Bronson)
No. 1 Wildwood vs. No. 2 Williston