The Prep Zone

ThePrepZone.com Sports Report Presented by SunState Federal Credit Union (Jan. 18)

Mike Ridaught

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January 19, 2018

In case you missed it on Thursday, Jan. 18, Mike Ridaught joined Jeff Cardozo, Zach Alboverdi & Pat Dooley on “The Tailgate” on WRUF-98.1 FM & 850 AM at 4:05 p.m to talk high school sports. Here are the things they discussed on ThePrepZone.com Sports Report Presented by SunState Federal Credit Union:

Last Saturday, the P.K. Yonge girls basketball team hosted the Blue Wave Classic. There were several defending state champions and state runners-up who played in that tournament, plus a bunch of area teams. How did that end up?

Pretty good for Eastside, in particular. They were the only area team to play twice, and they won both games. They beat defending 4A state runner-up Providence (Jacksonville) in double overtime on Friday night. Then they beat Leon (Tallahassee) on Saturday. The Rock also beat Providence on Saturday. Gainesville beat defending 3A state champion FAMU (Tallahassee) by six. And P.K. Yonge, which is up to 4th in the state in Class 4A according to MaxPreps, beat Class 8A West Port (Ocala) by 15. I think the Lady Blue Wave could get to Lakeland this year. But the best game of the day as Class 1A Trenton and Class 9A Dr. Phillips (Orlando). Trenton was in the 1A state semifinals last year and will have to likely go through Wildwood again if they want to make it back to Lakeland, but they improved to 14-2 on the season with a 45-43 win. Even though Trenton is ranked, that’s still impressive because you’ve got the smallest classification in the state beating the largest. Dr. Phillips missed a lay-up at the buzzer that would have sent the game into overtime. Trenton’s Thalia Jackson finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds. She’s a difference maker. But all in all, it went well for the locals. They all won and represented girls hoops well.

There’s a city showdown in boys’ high school basketball tomorrow night as Gainesville hosts rival Eastside. The game will be played at Santa Fe College.

A week ago, I told you that these were two of the top three teams in Alachua County, with Hawthorne being the other. That hasn’t necessarily changed, but the status of Eastside has changed. The Rams have lost junior guard Anthony Wright for the season to an ACL, and their point guard James Pope was in a cast with a broken arm this past Saturday when they lost on their home floor to Hawthorne. So the Rams have lost two starters due to injury. They just lost a district game at North Marion on Tuesday in triple overtime. I don’t think they lose that game without the injuries. In fact, Eastside beat North Marion on its home floor by 20 last month. The Rams have lost two in a row for the first time this season, but this is a rivalry game so we’ll see what happens. Someone else will have to step up. Gainesville’s just kind of quietly rolling along. With Christian Miller-Cardwell, GHS is a threat in Class 7A this season. The Hurricanes have won three in a row. They’re 13-4 overall and they’ve really dominated this series against Eastside lately. The ‘Canes have won six in a row and nine of the last 10. Eastside is looking for its first win in the series since 2014. The game will be played at Santa Fe College, and has been for years now because of the large crowds for these games. I expect a big crowd tomorrow night, but if you can’t make it we’ll have audio & video available online at ThePrepZone.com.

The Winter sports are winding down. Girls soccer regular season ends this week. Boys soccer regular season ends the week after that.
Yeah, the boys wrap up their regular season next week. The district tournament for girls’ soccer is also next week so we really only have a little over a month left in the season, period. The state championships for girls’ soccer are Feb. 21st and Feb. 23. The boys are the week after that. Eastside’s probably the best girls team in the area, although Buchholz is right there and should compete for a district title. Last night, Eastside beat Santa Fe on the road, 9-2. Junior Sierra Millinor had five goals. She’s got nine goals in her past two games. Eastside will host their district tournament next week at Citizen’s Field. Buchholz will have to travel to Jacksonville Mandarin. P.K. Yonge is another team that could do well in girls soccer just because they have Lee Ducharme. She already has over 300 goals in her career. By the way, P.K. Yonge has two former Gator soccer players on their coaching staff – head coach Rebecca Shackow, formerly Rebecca Hidalgo, and assistant coach Haley Reeb. The P.K. Yonge girls have two regular season games left – tonight at Oak Hall and then tomorrow against Williston. But guys, if they can win those two, and I believe they will, they will finish the regular season a perfect 16-0!

For the latest in high school sports in Gainesville, check out our daily reports on 106.9 FM every weekday around 7:50 a.m. Here is a link to the archives.

The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Strive Fitness – 2017-18 Boys Basketball Poll #5

Mike Ridaught

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January 18, 2018

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Strive Fitness - George Koziara352-339-1230 — Strive Fitness – George Koziara
352-339-1230

Leesburg remains a unanimous #1 in regional boys’ basketball poll following holiday tournament play

GAINESVILLE – The defending Class 6A state champions are still No. 1.

Leesburg, ranked 6th in the state overall by MaxPreps, went 3-0 last week to remain on top of The Prep Zone Power Poll. The Yellow Jackets (15-1) received all six first-place votes.

There was no movement in the top five, but there was in the second five.

Palatka, which was in the Class 6A state semifinals last year, remained second in the all-classification regional rankings. The Panthers (18-0) are the only undefeated team remaining in the area.

Another final four team from last season, The Villages, is still No. 3. The 5A state semifinalist Buffalo (14-2) went 3-0 last week to remain third.

Creekside (St. Johns) and Gainesville remained fourth and fifth, respectively. Leesburg Yellow Jackets

The Knights (15-2) stayed ahead of the Hurricanes (13-4) despite a 69-58 loss to GHS at the Kiwanis Christmas Tournament in Starke back in December.

Atlantic (Port Orange) moved up six spots to sixth. The Class 7A Sharks (16-3) went 3-0, including a 73-62 win at home on Monday against current #10 First Coast (Jacksonville) at the MLK Classic.

Hawthorne moves up three spots to seventh. The Hornets (13-4), who were in the 1A state semifinals last season, had a big win on the road at previous No. 6 Eastside (Gainesville), 67-59, dropping the Rams (12-4) to 11th.

Providence (Jacksonville), last year’s 4A state runners-up, dropped two spots to eighth following a 46-43 loss to First Coast, but they are two spots ahead of the Class 8A Bucs (14-3).

Class 6A Nature Coast (Brooksville) lost to Springstead (Spring Hill), 71-64, on Tuesday night and dropped one spot to ninth. It was the first loss of the season for the Sharks (18-1).

Madison County, which lost to Hawthorne in last year’s Class 1A Regional Final, is in the rankings for the first time this season at No. 16. The Cowboys (13-2) went 3-0 last week and have won 10 in a row since a 62-44 loss to #5 Gainesville at the Bradford Kiwanis Christmas Tournament on Dec. 21.

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters. It is powered by Strive Fitness.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2017-18 BOYS BASKETBALL POLL #5
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 1/16, and how they fared last week)
1. Leesburg (6A) (6) (15-1) – 120
2. Palatka (6A) (18-0) – 111
3. The Villages (5A) (14-2) – 107
4. Creekside (St. Johns) (8A) (15-2) – 102
5. Gainesville (7A) (13-4) – 100
6. Atlantic (Port Orange) (7A) (16-3) – 84
7. Hawthorne (1A) (13-4) – 79
8. Providence (Jacksonville) (4A) (12-5) – 72
9. Nature Coast (Brooksville) (6A) (18-1) – 69
10. First Coast (Jacksonville) (8A) (14-3) – 67
11. Eastside (Gainesville) (6A) (12-4) – 56
12. Englewood (Jacksonville) (7A) (13-3) – 54
13. Bolles (Jacksonville) (5A) (14-3) – 53
14. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (6A) (13-4) – 45
15. Wildwood (1A) (10-4) – 39
16. Madison County (1A) (13-2) – 24
17. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (12-5) – 19
18. DeLand (9A) (12-5) – 18
19. North Florida Educational Institute (Jacksonville) (2A) (12-5) – 15
20. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (5A) (12-5) – 8
Also receiving votes: Mainland (Daytona Beach) (7A) (10-5) – 6; Orange Park (6A) (12-5) – 4; Springstead (Spring Hill) (7A) (12-6) – 3; Vanguard (Ocala) (7A) (10-7) – 2; Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) (7A) (11-6) – 2; Bell (1A) (14-4) – 1.

Gateway Conference Tournament (Girls BKB)

Mike Ridaught

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January 18, 2018

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Gateway ConferenceLogo Jacksonville – Some of the top Duval County public school girls high school basketball teams will be competing in the annual Gateway Conference Tournament this week.

Defending 6A state champion Ribault (Jacksonville) has dominated the event, winning the last seven titles. While the Lady Trojans have advanced to the semifinals, they aren’t necessarily the favorite.

Sandalwood (Jacksonville), which is ranked fourth in The Prep Zone Power Poll, is the top seed. The Lady Saints (13-1) advanced to the semifinals with an easy 60-19 win against Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

They get 4th-seeded Ribault today at 5:30 p.m. The Trojans advanced last night with a 46-30 win against Terry Parker (Jacksonville).

The winner advances to Saturday night’s championship game (7 p.m.) to be held at Sandalwood.

In other quarterfinals, No. 3 seed Raines (Jacksonville) defeated Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville), 55-14, and will now face No. 2 seed First Coast (Jacksonville). The Lady Bucs advanced with a 54-39 win against Paxon (Jacksonville).

Both semifinals will be broadcast ‘live’ on The Prep Zone via the NFHS Network. Click on the links below to access each game. Follow DuvalSports.com for game recaps

2018 Gateway Conference Tournament scores

Tuesday, Jan. 16
Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) 59, Fletcher (Neptune Beach) 34
Terry Parker (Jacksonville) 60, Mandarin (Jacksonville) 23
Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) 49, Westside (Jacksonville) 33
Paxon (Jacksonville) 37, Ed White (Jacksonville) 28
Bye – Sandalwood, Ribault, Raines & First Coast

Wednesday, Jan. 17 (Quarterfinals)
Sandalwood (Jacksonville) 60, Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) 19
Ribault (Jacksonville) 46, Terry Parker (Jacksonville) 30
Raines (Jacksonville) 55, Robert E. Lee (Jacksonville) 14
First Coast (Jacksonville) 54, Paxon (Jacksonville) 39

Thursday, Jan. 18 (Semifinals – at First Coast)
#1 Sandalwood (Jacksonville) 58, #4 Ribault (Jacksonville) 44
#3 Raines (Jacksonville) 61, #2 First Coast (Jacksonville) 57

Saturday, Jan. 20 (Championship – at Sandalwood)
#1 Sandalwood (Jacksonville) vs. #3 Raines (Jacksonville), 7 p.m.

Sonic Drive-In-Player-of-the-Game for Jan. 16 – Nick Baskin (St. Francis Catholic Academy)

Mike Ridaught

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January 17, 2018

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Our Sonic Drive-In-Player-of-the-Game for Tuesday, January 16 is Nick Baskin of the Saint Francis Catholic Academy (Gainesville) boys’ basketball team.

The senior scored 24 points, including eight points in the fourth quarter, and hit the game-winning jumper with eight seconds left to lead Saint Francis to a 65-63 home win over Class 7A Columbia (Lake City).

Baskin gave the 3A Wolves (8-9) at 63-62 lead on a layup with 48 seconds to go in regulation. After Marcus Owens hit one-of-two free throws to tie the game with 26 seconds left, Baskin drove down and then hit a fade away jumper from behind the free throw line to give Saint Francis the lead for good. Nick Baskin St. Francis Catholic

Columbia’s Bobby Fulton, who finished with 11 points, missed a jumper before the buzzer that would have tied the game. Tray Miller led the Tigers (10-6) with 20 points, including 15 points and three three-pointers in the second quarter, and Jordan Smith was also in double figures with 10.

Baskin only scored seven points in the first half, but the Wolves still led 35-30 at the halftime break. Despite Baskin’s nine points in the third quarter, Saint Francis was outscored 24-15 by Columbia and trailed the Tigers 54-50 going in the final period.

But Saint Francis outscored Columbia 15-9 in the fourth quarter, and Baskin scored the final six points for the Wolves.

Senior Sebastian Lora Arm was the only other Wolves player in double figures with 11 points.

Saint Francis will return to action Saturday as they travel to 8A Ocoee. Columbia returns home Wednesday night to battle Santa Fe (Alachua).

Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift card & certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.

The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Strive Fitness – 2017-2018 Girls’ Basketball Poll #3

Mike Ridaught

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January 16, 2018

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Nease (Ponte Vedra) new No. 1 in all-classification regional rankings

GAINESVILLE — There’s a new No. 1 in The Prep Zone Power Poll for girls’ basketball.

Nease (Ponte Vedra), which advanced to the Class 7A regional finals last season and is currently the top-ranked team in Class 7A according to MaxPreps, is ranked No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings.

The Lady Panthers (16-3) went 3-0 last week, including a 66-53 win against No. 18 Middleburg, which dropped one spot following losses to Nease and current No. 8 Fernandina Beach. They received five of the eight-first place votes and moved up one spot from second to the top of the rankings.

Previous No. 1 Sandalwood (Jacksonville) lost for the first time this season. The Class 9A Lady Saints (12-1) fell at home to current No. 2 Spruce Creek (Port Orange), 61-51, and dropped three spots to fourth.

The win by the Class 9A Hawks (12-4), coupled with a 48-46 win against 3A #1 Orlando Christian Prep at the Think Pink Classic, vaulted them six spots up in the rankings. They also received one first-place vote. Nease Panthers

Fleming Island (Orange Park) remained third.

The Class 8A Golden Eagles (17-3), who received one first-place vote, went 2-0 with victories against RV Ribault (Jacksonville) and previous No. 11 Oakleaf (Orange Park), which dropped two spots to 13th.

Rounding out the top five is P.K. Yonge (Gainesville), which remained fifth.

The Class 4A Lady Blue Wave (12-4) finished off a 2-1 week with a 53-38 win against 8A West Port (Ocala) at the Blue Wave Classic on Saturday.

Class 6A Ponte Vedra (12-3) remained sixth, and they are followed by defending 1A state champion Wildwood (14-4), Class 5A Fernandina Beach (16-4), 7A Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) (15-2), and Class 1A Trenton in the top 10.

Flagler Palm Coast (9A) (11-5), which went 2-0 with wins at Paxon (Jacksonville) and against Mandarin (Jacksonville), moves into the rankings for the first time this season at No. 20.

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Strive Fitness.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2017-2018 GIRLS BASKETBALL POLL #3
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, current record through 1/13, and total voting points)
1. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (7A) (5) (16-3) – 154
2. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (9A) (1) (12-4) – 148
3. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (8A) (1) (17-3) – 144
4. Sandalwood (Jacksonville) (9A) (1) (12-1) – 141
5. P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (4A) (12-4) – 125
6. Ponte Vedra (6A) (12-3) – 123
7. Wildwood (1A) (14-4) – 113
8. Fernandina Beach (5A) (16-4) – 97
9. Father Lopez (Daytona Beach) (7A) (15-2) – 85
10. Trenton (1A) (14-2) – 79
11. Gainesville (7A) (13-7) – 75
12. Forest (Ocala) (7A) (13-2) – 68
13. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (8A) (14-4) – 65
14. Newberry (5A) (13-3) – 60
15. Weeki Wachee (6A) (14-2) – 49
16. First Coast (Jacksonville) (8A) (12-5) – 47
17. Raines (Jacksonville) (5A) (12-4) – 30
18. Middleburg (7A) (12-5) – 18
19. Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (12-4) – 16
20. Flagler Palm Coast (9A) (11-5) – 10
Also receiving votes: Mainland (Daytona Beach) (7A) (11-3) – 9; Ribault (Jacksonville) (6A) (10-11) – 9; East Ridge (Clermont) (8A) (12-5) – 7; Aucilla Christian (Monticello) (2A) (14-2) – 4; Williston (1A) (11-3) – 2; Menendez (St. Augustine) (6A) (11-3) – 2.

Vanguard girls’ hoops hosts North Marion on Tuesday

Mike Ridaught

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January 16, 2018

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Vanguard Knights By Olivia Granaiola
@oliviagranaiola

The Vanguard High School (Ocala) girls’ basketball team will head into today’s match-up against North Marion with a big win under their belt.

On Thursday, the Lady Knights had a good old-fashioned rout over Lake Weir (Ocala), winning 61-9. The win improved Vanguard’s overall record to 9-7 and brought their district record to 2-3.

There are many factors that went into Vanguard’s 52-point win, but the Lady Knights’ strong back court was a major one.

Freshman guard Nasia Powell led the team with an explosive 29 points and five steals. Junior guard Essence Bell was not too far behind Powell, though.

She accounted for 16 of Vanguard’s points, grabbed five boards, and managed three steals. These numbers may sound crazy, but for Powell and Bell, it’s just following protocol.

Powell has only been playing high school basketball for a few months, but she’s already leading the 7A district in points with a whopping 25.4 per game. She’s also showcased her high basketball IQ and quick-thinking skills with an average of 3.4 steals per game.

Bell is another strong presence for the Lady Knights.

She is a master off the glass, grabbing 9.1 rebounds per game, a statistic that leads 7A. She also completes her game with 4.1 assists and 2.8 steals per game.

Offensively, she scores 14.3 points per game, and Coach Terrance Lewis says she will eclipse the 1,000-point career benchmark around the second half of the season.

Powell and Bell led the victory over Lake Weir, but senior guard Beijing Ferguson added six points, three assists, and two steals to Vanguard’s game.

Despite the Colts 6-8 overall record, Vanguard should still be on guard heading into the game. It’s a county rivalry game and anything can happen in a rivalry game.

That being said, two strong performances from Powell and Bell should give the Lady Knights’ basketball team an extra confidence boost.

After tonight, Vanguard will travel to city rival Forest for another big district game.

Sonic Drive-In-Player-of-the-Game for Jan. 13 – Devin Lawrence (Hawthorne)

Mike Ridaught

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January 16, 2018

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Our Sonic Drive-In-Player-of-the-Game for Saturday, January 13 is Devin Lawrence of the Hawthorne boys basketball team.

Lawrence scored 34 points, including 12 points in the decisive fourth quarter, as Hawthorne pulled away late for a 67-59 road win at Eastside (Gainesville) on Saturday night.

The senior was nearly perfect at the free throw line as well, going 15-of-16 from the charity stripe, including 4-of-4 down the stretch as the Hornets (13-4) outscored Eastside 18-10 in the fourth quarter after the two teams were tied at 49 after three periods. Hawthorne_Hornets football

Lawrence hit his only three of the game in the opening quarter, but only had 12 points at halftime as Hawthorne held a slim 32-31 lead at the break. He really got it going with 10 points in the third quarter. Alphonso Williams was the only other Hornets player in double figures with 14 points.

The Hornets will be back in action on Thursday in a District 6-1A contest against Crescent City.

Eastside (12-3) was led by senior Jimmy Johnson with 16 points. The Rams return to the court on Tuesday in a District 6-6A game at North Marion (Citra).

Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift card & certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.

Wildwood Boys Basketball – 2018

Mike Stanton

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January 15, 2018

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Date: Wed 01/17/2018, 7-8 p.m.
Title: “The Prep Zone”

Event Details: Join Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Summerfield. Guests for this episode include Wildwood boys’ basketball coach Von Moreland and members of the Wildcats Class 1A top-ranked basketball team. The show will also air on 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville, as well as 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala. #ThePrepZone.com

Click Here to Listen

CHROME BROWSER NOTE: Recent versions of the Chrome Browser have discontinued support for several plugins including the Silverlight media player used on this site. The best option to access this ‘live’ broadcast is to switch to a different browser, i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The other option for windows users is to click the “WMP Player” once you access the broadcast on Chrome. This will play the broadcast in your standalone windows media player if that is available on your computer.

Buchholz Wrestling – 2018

Mike Stanton

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January 15, 2018

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Date: Mon 01/15/2018, 7-8 p.m.
Title: “The Prep Zone” radio show

Event Details: Join Mike Ridaught and Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville. Guests for this episode include Buchholz wrestling coach Billy Pankey and members of the 4-time defending city champion wrestling team. The show will air on 92.1 FM & 1230 AM in Gainesville, as well as 100.1 FM & 900 AM in Ocala. #ThePrepZone.com

Click Here to Listen online

CHROME BROWSER NOTE: Recent versions of the Chrome Browser have discontinued support for several plugins including the Silverlight media player used on this site. The best option to access this ‘live’ broadcast is to switch to a different browser, i.e. Internet Explorer or Firefox.

The other option for windows users is to click the “WMP Player” once you access the broadcast on Chrome. This will play the broadcast in your standalone windows media player if that is available on your computer.

Sonic Drive-In-Player-of-the-Game for Jan. 12 – Christian Miller-Cardwell (GHS)

Mike Ridaught

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January 13, 2018

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Our Sonic Drive-In-Player-of-The Game for Friday, January 12 is Christian Miller-Cardwell of the Gainesville boys basketball team.

Miller-Cardwell scored a team-high 15 points as the Purple Hurricanes cruised past city rival P.K. Yonge (Gainesville), 60-45, Friday night at the Purple Palace.

The senior scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half, including nine points and his only three pointer of the game in the second quarter, as Gainesville led 34-16 at halftime and 56-25 going into the fourth quarter before playing the bench almost the entire period. Christian Miller-Cardwell vs. Buchholz

Dallas Tealer added three three-pointers as Gainesville hit nine for the game and avenged a 47-42 loss at P.K. Yonge in the Purple Hurricanes first game of the season back in November.

Gainesville improved to to 13-4 and has almost a full week off before hosting District 4-7A foe Lake Weir (Candler) next Thursday.

P.K. Yonge falls to 7-9 and is back in action next Tuesday as they travel across town to take on District 1-4A rival Oak Hall (Gainesville).

Every game The Prep Zone will recognize a Player-of-the-Game. The recipient receives a $10 gift card & certificate courtesy of Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville & Ocala.