New Mainstreet Daily News basketball ‘color’ commentator Mac McCray has been taking us down memory lane on the airwaves.

During the Columbia (Lake City) broadcast at Buchholz boys basketball on Dec. 2, McCray said he had not been in Buchholz’s Bud Seymour Gymnasium in over 20 years.

This past Friday, during the Buchholz at GHS game broadcast, McCray said he had not been in The Purple Palace since his son, Melvin McCray, led the Purple Hurricanes to a state title in 1998.

It will feel like old times on Tuesday night for McCray, who will join Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) for the call of the Newberry at P.K. Yonge boys basketball game at 7:30 p.m. McCray was a head coach at P.K. Yonge when former Gator great Willie Jackson was playing hoops for the Blue Wave.

Pallman and McCray will also broadcast Newberry at The Rock at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday. After an unbeaten regular season (21-0) in 2024-25, the Panthers (5-0) and head coach Patrick Green are undefeated again heading into Tuesday’s game at P.K. Yonge.

Those games are just a part of our Stephenson’s Septic Tank Services High School Basketball Game of the Week. We will also broadcast a select number of games from the upcoming holiday hoops tournaments in the area (TBA).

A total of eight games will be broadcast in January, featuring city and county showdowns. All games will be broadcast ‘live’ and ‘archived’ online (audio only) at Mainstreet Daily News.

Tuesday, Jan. 6 – Hawthorne at GHS, 7:30 p.m.
The defending state champion Hornets don’t begin their season until Dec. 19 (Battle of the Rurals at Chipley High School) because of the state champion football team’s late season. The losses of Chasion Wilson, Dacarion Debose, Leland Johnson, Demetrius Brown, and Kelvin Baker will be felt early.

“The three guys who contributed as role players on last year’s state title team — Kyler Ingram, Darian Bowie, and Nathan Jennings — are definitely our leaders,” said Hawthorne coach Greg Bowie, who enters his 19th season. “I know how hard they’re going to work. All three are high-effort guys who play extremely hard on the defensive end. They’ll have to pick up their scoring this year, and there are a few more guys I’ll need to step up by knocking down perimeter shots and helping out with ball handling.”

Last January in Hawthorne, the Hornets overcame a 9-0 deficit and rallied for a 56-47 win.

Friday, Jan. 9 – Eastside at GHS, 7:30 p.m.
This used to be a regular on the broadcast schedule, but it was absent from the list during the 2024-25 season. This city showdown also used to be played at Santa Fe College, but was moved back to campus sites a few years ago.

GHS has won eight in a row in the series, including a 69-48 win at home last Jan. 31, and a 51-43 victory at Eastside on Jan. 10.

Before the Hurricanes began their current winning streak against their rival, the Rams won the previous seven games in a row from 2018-2021.

Thursday, Jan. 15 – Hawthorne at Trenton, 7 p.m.
Hawthorne already competes in an elite Rural District 7 (Region 4) with Williston and Wildwood, which is currently ranked No. 4 in the first MaxPreps Rural rankings.

Trenton is in Rural District 6 but competes in Region 3, meaning Hawthorne and Trenton could potentially face each other again in the final four. The Tigers (6-2) are ranked No. 1 in the first MaxPreps Rural rankings.

Either way, it’s a good primer for this year’s postseason for these two Rural final four hopefuls.

“My main point of emphasis this season is to compete, bring great energy every game, and defend at a high level,” Bowie said. “It’ll probably be a little sloppy early on with some players joining us late from football, but my goal is for us to look like a true basketball team by the time the district tournament begins.”

Friday, Jan. 16 – Buchholz at Eastside, 7:30 p.m.
Herman “Pop” Williams enters his 29th season as head coach of the Eastside Rams, who named their gymnasium after him during last year’s home game against the Bobcats.

Both games were close last year between the Bobcats and the Rams, who are looking to snap a five-game losing streak in the series. Buchholz edged Eastside, 44-38, on the road on Dec. 20, 2024, and completed the sweep with a 48-43 win at home on Jan. 17.

This will be the only meeting this season between Eastside and Buchholz, which leads the series, 12-10, since 2005.

Tuesday, Jan. 20 – Newberry at Buchholz, 7:30 p.m.
Last year, Newberry enjoyed a perfect regular season and its first district title since 2004. That included a 70-40 blowout of the Bobcats last Jan. 25.

The Bobcats were unable to return the favor earlier this month when the Panthers cruised to a 70-52 win at home. They will get another shot at redemption in 2026 at Bud Seymour Gymnasium.

This is only the eighth meeting between the two Alachua County schools since 2007. Newberry has won the last two, while Buchholz won the previous three meetings.

Friday, Jan. 23 – GHS at Buchholz, 7:30 p.m.
GHS had dominated this series before last Friday, winning for the 34th time in the past 41 meetings with a 54-41 win at The Purple Palace on January 24, 2025.

However, with GHS senior captain Craig Thomas Jr., on crutches, Buchholz snapped a three-game losing streak in the series with a 51-38 rare win at The Purple Palace on Dec. 12. Buchholz junior Jacob Bromirski scored a game-high 21 points and single-handedly outscored the ‘Canes, 14-12, at the half.

The Bobcats go for the season sweep in 2026.

Thursday, Jan. 29 – Buchholz at Williston, 7:30 p.m.
Williston was a two-time defending state champion when it rolled into Bud Seymour Gymnasium last Jan. 30. However, the host Bobcats rallied from a 10-point first quarter to win, 53-51, thanks to a game-high 19 points from then junior Evan Walker.

Williston, which won its third straight district title last year, has won three of the last four in the series. However, the Red Devils and the Bobcats have only faced each other five times in the past 12 years.

Friday, Jan. 30 – GHS at Eastside, 7:30 p.m.
Thomas’ status for the remainder of the year is uncertain. He is expected to have an MRI this week. If he is unable to finish the season, it will be a big loss for the Hurricanes, who will have to have someone else step up.

“He is a leader, and the players respond when he speaks,” said GHS coach Mike Barnes. “He is one of the best defensive players I have ever coached. He can guard all five positions and routinely is tasked with guarding the other team’s best player.”

This is the final game of the regular season for both teams. Depending on the outcome on Jan. 9, this will be a chance to sweep or split the two-game series.

FHSAA District tournaments (TBD, Feb. 2-7)