Date: Fri 01/15/2016
Title: Boys’ HS Basketball – Gainesville vs. Eastside at Santa Fe College (Gainesville) – Link to listen to the game is below the preview by Mike Ridaught
Event Details: Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) and Tyler TenBieg (Color) for this city showdown in Gainesville.
This is a big city rivalry that I’ve been covering since the days of Orien Greene, who was Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida back in the late 90s/early 2000s when Gainesville won back-to-back state titles.
They used to play this game on campus sites but the crowds became so big that they moved the games to Santa Fe College.
GHS (15-3) is ranked 4th in the state in Class 6A. Last year they advanced to the Final Four for the second time in the past three years and for the 4h time since 2008. They won a state title in 2009 and were state runners-up last year. They’re coming off a 1-1 week which included a 70-57 loss at Ocala Vanguard (12-6, 5-2) on Tuesday night which gave the ‘Canes (6-1) their first loss in district play and just their third loss of the season. They defeated Santa Fe on Thursday night, giving head coach Kelly Beckham his 700th career victory.
Gainesville is led by Rudy Bibb Boyd, who recently committed to Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee. He has taken over the role of Ike Smith, who is now starting as a freshman at Georgia Southern. He had 23 against Vanguard, including 17 in the fourth quarter, while Isaiah Wilson and Dallas Tealer scored 11 apiece.
It should be noted that senior Ronte Oates has recently left the team. He was a guy that was physical enough to dominate a game inside but could also step out and hit the three. Last year, Oates had 16 in a meeting against the Rams and also had 17 in the state semifinals.
Meanwhile, Eastside is young. In fact, Coach Pop Williams told me that this is his youngest team he’s had in his 19 years of coaching. He said it kind of reminds him of his ’96-’97 team. They start two freshmen, two sophomores and one junior.
The Rams (9-6) have been to the state playoffs all but two years under Pop but this team has been up and down. They have lost three in a row, but all three games were decided by seven points or less. Two of their losses this season have come to district rival Santa Fe – one in overtime this past Saturday and the other on a half court shot at the buzzer during the holidays.
But they have some good young players – like sophomore Diamond Smith, who scored 26 in the loss on Saturday.
Click Here to Listen: http://www.floridacast.com/play/index.cfm?fuseaction=embstay&id=4A17A7F6D8
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