P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) had moved to the top spot after defeating GHS on January 21 at home. However, Hawthorne defeated P.K. Yonge on Senior Night last week to take over the top spot with GHS a close third. The Blue Wave (20-4) & the Hurricanes (21-4) are the first two county teams to win 20 or more games this season and went 1-1 against each other during the regular season. All three will be No. 1 seeds heading into district play.
- Hawthorne (19-5) – Hornets are ranked 2nd in the state in Class 1A and they have played another tough schedule. They knocked off P.K. Yonge last week at home and although they didn’t play Gainesville or Buchholz this year, the Hornets are unbeaten against Alachua County. They’ve won 10 in a row heading into the postseason and are the No. 1 seed in 1A-District 6
- P.K. Yonge (20-4) – They were previously undefeated against Alachua County until the loss at Hawthorne last Thursday, including wins over Gainesville, Buchholz & Eastside. Their four losses are by a combined 13 total points, including a 66-62 loss at defending 3A state champion Providence (Jacksonville). The Blue Wave are the top seed in 3A-District 3
- Gainesville (21-4) – wins over 7A Buchholz (twice), Eastside (twice), P.K. Yonge & Santa Fe; also have losses to Santa Fe and P.K. Yonge; ‘Canes are ranked 7th in Class 6A & the top seed in 6A-District 4
- Buchholz (13-10) – Bobcats, the #4 seed in 7A-District 4, kept their postseason hopes alive with a 53-32 win over Fleming Island (Orange Park) on Monday night. The ‘Cats lost by only six at state-ranked P.K. Yonge and defeated 5A Eastside by 21. Buchholz only lost at GHS by four
- Santa Fe (10-13) – Raiders played a tough schedule down the stretch with losses to Lake Highland Prep (Orlando), P.K. Yonge and 7A Buchholz. The Raiders are the #3 seed in 5A-District 6. They had a win at GHS in December which snapped the Purple Hurricanes’ 21-game home court winning streak; won 2/3 against Eastside
- Eastside (10-10) – Rams snapped a six-game losing streak with a 59-56 win over 1A Williston but then lost to rival GHS by 25 in the regular season finale. However, Eastside won the tie breaker in its district and will be the #1 seed in 5A-District 6
- St. Francis Catholic (21-5) – best record in school history; two of their losses to P.K. Yonge to finish 2nd in 3A-District 3 behind the Blue Wave. Wolves were 3-2 against the county.
- Newberry (12-10) – lost at Hawthorne by 21 & at P.K. Yonge by 20 and finished 0-3 against Alachua County; Panthers are the #3 seed in 1A-District 6 behind Hawthorne & Union County (Lake Butler)
- Oak Hall (13-9) – Eagles are the #3 seed in 3A-District 3 behind P.K. Yonge & St. Francis Catholic; former Gator assistant Monte Towe is on the staff
- Cornerstone Academy (2-19) – SEASON OVER; lost to Eagle’s View (Jacksonville), 78-49, in the 2A-District 3 quarterfinals
Alachua County schools Buchholz, Eastside, Santa Fe, Oak Hall, St. Francis Catholic, P.K. Yonge & Newberry are playing tonight in the district semifinals. Gainesville, the top seed in 6A-District 4, plays tomorrow. Hawthorne plays Friday (1A-District 6). State playoff berths are at stake in the semifinals.
Class 7A-District 4 at Oakleaf (Orange Park) (Semifinals & Championship)
Monday – #4 Buchholz (Gainesville) 53, #5 Fleming Island (Orange Park) 32 – Bobcats (13-10) got 14 points from Jonathan Horodysi & 11 from Nick Chase to advance. However, the status of senior Jalon Perry is uncertain after he injured his hand after last night’s win. Perry only had five last night but he had 28 points on Senior Night in a win against Santa Fe last week. Buchholz will have to knock off top-seeded Creekside tonight to make it to the state playoffs. During the season, Buchholz lost by three on the road and also lost in overtime at home. Creekside has won nine games in a row and is 21-4 on the season.
Tuesday – #2 Bartram Trail (St. Johns) vs. #3 Oakleaf (Orange Park), 6 p.m.; #1 Creekside (St. Johns) vs. #4 Buchholz (Gainesville), 7:30 p.m.
Friday – 7:30 p.m. (Championship)
Class 5A-District 6 at Santa Fe (Alachua)
Tuesday – #1 Eastside (Gainesville) vs. #4 Belleview, 6 p.m.; #2 North Marion (Citra) vs. #3 Santa Fe (Alachua), 7:30 p.m.
Friday – 7 p.m. (Championship)
The Rams, Colts & Raiders all tied for first but Eastside won the tie-breaker and will get to play No. 4 seed Belleview with a spot in the playoffs at stake. Eastside won both meetings during the regular season by an average of 30 points. Meanwhile, Santa Fe lost at North Marion by two but beat the Colts at home by 19 less than two weeks ago.
Class 3A-District 3 at P.K. Yonge (Gainesville)
Tuesday – #2 St. Francis Catholic (Gainesville) vs. #3 Oak Hall (Gainesville), 6 p.m.; #1 P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) vs. #4 St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine), 7:30 p.m.
Friday – 7 p.m. (Championship)
P.K. Yonge went undefeated against the district and is the clear favorite to win the district title. St. Francis Catholic can at least clinch a playoff spot with a win against the Eagles, a team it beat twice during the season by an average of 27.5 points per game.
Class 6A-District 4 at Gainesville (Semifinals & Championship)
Tuesday – #5 Forest (Ocala) at #4 Lake Weir (Ocala), 7 p.m.
Wednesday – #2 Vanguard (Ocala) vs. #3 Columbia (Lake City), 6 p.m.; #1 Gainesville vs. Forest/Lake Weir winner, 7:30 p.m.
Friday – 7 p.m. (Championship)
Gainesville only had one loss in district play. That was at Vanguard, who it could face in the district championship. The Knights have won 12 in a row and have not lost in 2016. However, their other district loss was at Columbia. So the rubber match between Columbia & Vanguard will also be for a state playoff berth.
Class 1A-District 6 at Newberry
Monday – #6 Baldwin 58, #7 Hilliard 49
Tuesday – #4 Williston vs. #5 Fort White, 6 p.m.; #3 Newberry vs. #6 Baldwin, 7:30 p.m.
Friday – #2 Union County (Lake Butler) vs. Newberry/Baldwin winner, 6 p.m.; #1 Hawthorne vs. Williston/Fort White winner, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday – 7 p.m. (Championship)
The Hornets (19-5) are 10-1 in the New Year. Their only loss in district play was at Union County. They avenged that loss with a 61-54 win at home against the Tigers on Jan. 15 and have gone 4-0 since then with wins against two 5A schools, a 4A school and 3A P.K. Yonge. Union County went 2-0 against Newberry but they lost at Baldwin, 56-55, on November 19. However, the Tigers, who are also just one win away from a 20-win season, dominated the Indians at home, 67-35, in the second meeting on January 5.
