March 5th, 6:00pm – Join host Mike Ridaught and co-host Marty Pallman along with special guests: Gainesville boys’ basketball assistant coach Phillip Knight along with senior Michael Henderson, senior Michael McCray, junior Isaiah Jackson, sophomore Ike Smith and sophomore Eric Turner. The ‘Canes advanced to the final four this season in Class 6A – which included ‘road’ upsets at #4 Leesburg and #1 Edgewater (Orlando). We’ll also release the final boys’ basketball Prep Zone Power Poll and recognize our Trophy Shop Athlete-of-the-Week presented by Mark McGriff’s State Farm Insurance of Gainesville, as well as recap our Sonic Player-of-the-Game winners.
Sonic Player-of-the-Game
- February 14, Kevin Bolen of the Gainesville boys’ basketball team. The junior had a team-high 24 points for the Hurricanes (19-9) in an 82-72 win over Citrus (Inverness) in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs. Bolen scored 13 of his points in the opening quarter as GHS built a 28-21 lead. He added eight points in a decisive 26-13 run in the third quarter, which gave Gainesville a 10-point lead heading in the final quarter.
- February 23, Ed Porter of the Hawthorne boys’ basketball team. Porter had a game-high 19 points as the Hornets advanced to the Class 1A final four with a 63-53 win over Hamilton County (Jasper) for the regional title. The sophomore, who also grabbed 12 rebounds, had a personal 7-0 run late in the third quarter that gave Hawthorne (28-1) a 24-point lead.
Trophy Shop Athlete-of-the-Week Presented by Mark McGriff’s State Farm Insurance of Gainesville for the week of February 25
- Katie O’Dell of the PK Yonge (Gainesville) softball team. The senior went 7-for-7 as the Blue Wave (10-1), ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, went 3-0 on the week with wins against Keystone Heights, Columbia (Lake City) and Oak Hall (Gainesville). O’Dell hit her fifth home run of the season in an 8-4 win against Columbia and she finished the week with seven RBIs. The Hillsborough Community College signee is batting .643 on the season.
