Mike Ridaught
Last year the area had a state champion in both girls and boys basketball.
The Hawthorne girls (15-5) won the Class 1A state title with a 42-38 win against Wildwood in the championship game.
It was the Lady Hornets’ second state title overall and their second in the past three years.
The Williston boys defeated Chipley, 58-49, to win the 1A state championship.
It was the first state title in program history for the Red Devils (25-7).
The Lady Hornets, who are led by football coach Cornelius Ingram, return three starters to a program that has made four final four appearances in five years.
Junior De’Mya Adams (18.8 points per game), a first team All Area selection last year, senior Lakijah Brown, and junior Jhalea Jackson (12 rebounds per game), a second team All Area selection, will give Hawthorne a chance to defend its state title.
Adams finished with 18 points and six steals in the state championship game.
The only senior last season was four-year starter Jazlyn Jackson, a two-time state champion, leaving some big shoes to fill.
Due to the football season lasting until December, Hawthorne won’t play its first game of the year until Tuesday, Dec. 12, at home against The Rock.
The Gainesville girls won a 6A-District 2 title last year in head coach Jazlynd Rollins’ first season. The Hurricanes return second team All Area guard Jayden Terry, which will help the Lady Hurricanes challenge for another district title.
GHS (0-2), which lost to a pair of Georgia teams at last week’s Thanksgiving Classic, gets another tough test on Tuesday night with a home game against 4A state runner-up Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville).
Buchholz, which is the same district, returns four starters from last year’s team, including Jamison Cardwell (20 ppg).
The Lady Bobcats (1-1) edged The Villages on the road, 46-44, in the season opener and lost by two at P.K. Yonge, 65-63, last Wednesday.
Columbia (Lake City), which bounced back from its two losses at last week’s holiday tournament with a 51-19 win at home against Suwannee (Live Oak) on Saturday, is looking to improve its 10-13 finish from last season.
Ayesha Broxey (13 ppg) and Jo-Jo Gardner (9 rpg) are back for head coach Anthony Perry’s Lady Tigers (1-2).
Last year, eight was enough for P.K. Yonge girls coach Willie Powers as the Lady Blue Wave made a run to the Class 3A-Region 1 Final before falling at Providence (Jacksonville), 64-58, to finish 16-4.
P.K. Yonge defeated Trinity Catholic (Ocala), 51-47, in last year’s 3A-District 2 championship game, giving Powers his 19th district title.
First team All Area guard Ashlyn Young (15 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists) is back, but junior Zion McCray (22 ppg) transferred to The Villages.
Despite only having six players on the roster to start the season (two were injured), P.K. Yonge (3-0) has wins at Trenton, vs. Buchholz and at Godby (Tallahassee) to start the season.
“Great group of young ladies who play hard and as a team if we can stay healthy and in tune we can make some noise in 3A,” Powers said.
Other area teams who made the state playoffs last year and are hoping to return this year include Newberry, Trenton and Williston in Class 1A, Oak Hall (2A), which will have a new coach this year after Eric Ringdahl retired after 31 seasons, and Bradford (Starke) in 3A.
If the Williston boys can stay healthy, they have a chance of repeating.
The Red Devils (2-0) opened the season with a 51-50 win against Jones (Orlando) at the Florida Get Down tournament in Orlando last Friday, along with a 75-27 win against Eastside on Saturday at the Mighty Ike Challenge.
First team All Area forward/center Kyler Lamb (6’6) is back for his senior year after finishing second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg). He led the team in blocks with 38 in 29 games played.
He shot 46% from the floor, scored 12 points, grabbed six rebounds, had three assists and two steals in the title game against Chipley.
Despite graduating Greg Maxwell and Jeythain Merced, the Red Devils also return starters Javon Brown (5.5 rpg), Reggie White and Quincy Parker (10 points in the title game).
Gainesville High made a run to the 6A-Region 1 Final before falling at Ponte Vedra, 72-61, to finish the season at 23-7.
GHS, which won its first district title in five years last year, lost a lot of key players from last year, including Josh Hayes, Theo Stephens, Seth Childers, and SJ Westbrook.
Anthony Leivonen (9.6 ppg and 2.8 rpg) is the most experienced player returning, but Buchholz transfer Cornelius White is an all-around offensive threat.
The Hurricanes (1-0), who will travel to P.K. Yonge on Tuesday, opened the season with a 58-50 win against Sebring at Saturday’s Might Ike tournament at Williston.
“We lost a lot of experience and production from last year’s team,” said GHS coach Mike Barnes. “In order for us to have a successful season, our returning guards will need to step up and play major minutes. We have a lot of young talent and new players to the program.”
Buchholz, which will have a new coach in former Santa Fe coach Elliot Harris, lost to GHS, 59-55, in last year’s 6A-District 2 title game.
The Bobcats (1-0), who opened the season with a 63-50 win against Vanguard (Ocala) at the Mighty Ike, return Palmer Walton (9 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 apg) and Nate Muchnick (8.5 ppg and 4 rpg) from last year’s team.
“With a mixture of young and older players, we have the ability to win a lot of games,” Harris said. “The new system will be a challenge for the players to learn, but when they all learn the system and buy in, this is the most talent that I have ever coached as a head coach.”
Columbia (Lake City) came up one game shy of a state semifinal appearance last year, losing at Mainland (Daytona Beach), 35-34, in the 5A-Region 1 Final.
The 5A-District 2 champions, who finished 20-10, have zero returning starters.
“The kids have worked extremely hard in preparing for this season,” said head coach Steve Faulkner, who enters his 10th season with the Tigers. “I expect us to go through some growing pains with the lack of game experience, but I believe we get better as the season progresses. We have some talented kids, who will gain more confidence as they play more.”
Santa Fe (Alachua) also advanced to within a game of the state semifinals last year.
The Raiders, who finished 22-7, lost at home to The Villages, 66-60, in the 4A-Region 2 Final.
They must replace All Area guard Don’trell Jenkins and All Area forward/center Kyren Washington.
P.K. Yonge, which won the 3A-District 2 title last season and made the postseason again, also has no returning starters under head coach Boderick Johnson, who enters his sixth season as head coach.
“My expectations remain the same as always and that’s for the team to compete in each and every game we play and to contend for the district championship we’ve done in years past,” Johnson said. “We will have to establish our identity as a team and see who will become team leaders.”
Despite missing the 2A state playoffs with a 17-5 record, Oak Hall returns four starters, including senior forward Andrew Powell (15.8 ppg and 5.9 rpg) and senior point guard Jackson Beach (9.3 ppg and 3.5 apg).
The Eagles are coming off the school’s best record in 30 years, and a second consecutive district runner-up finish. They are hoping to win their first district title in 12 years with a veteran squad that includes seven returning players who accounted for nearly 80% of the squad’s scoring, rebounding and playing time last season.
Hawthorne always seems to be in the mix for a final four berth.
Last year, C.J. Ingram hit two free throws with one second left to edge Newberry, 43-41, in the 1A-Region 3 Final and advance to the state semifinals. They also beat the Panthers for the district title on a buzzer-beater.
Ingram, who was named the 1A Player of the Year, is back for his junior season averaging 21.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3.3 steals per game.
“I expect us to play hard and compete at a high level,” said head coach Greg Bowie, who enters his 17th season with the Hornets. “One challenge is having a long football season and all players (basketball) playing football. It’ll take a while to get into basketball shape.”
Hawthorne won’t play its first game until Friday, Dec. 15, when the Hornets open the season at home against Keystone Heights.
Other 1A teams who made the postseason last year include Newberry and Chiefland.