Dr. Phillips and Orlando Christian Prep, the two Orlando area teams that won boys basketball state championships a year ago, are favorites again in this week’s Florida High School Athletic Association state tournament.
Lake Highland Prep, Jones and Sanford Seminole are underdogs with hopes of pulling off surprises.
The Orlando area has produced 13 title teams in the past six seasons and at least one in 15 of the past 16 years.
The tournament tips off Wednesday at 10 a.m. with OCP (24-4) drawing the early wakeup call to play its Class 2A semifinal at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. The Warriors are seeking their third consecutive championship, which would tie their own area record (2008-10).
Dr. Phillips (25-5), which plays Seminole (19-8) in an all-Central Florida 7A semifinal on Friday, returned its three high-major college signees: Ernest Udeh Jr. (6-10, Kansas), Riley Kugel (6-5, Mississippi State) and Denzel Aberdeen (6-4, UF).
Lake Highland Prep (25-3) has one of the state’s top teams but faces a tall challenge against Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian in a 4A semifinal.
Jones (20-7) peaked just in time to be Orlando’s surprise qualifier in what looks to be a wide open 5A final four.
Tickets are $10 if purchased in advance, $13 on game day. Parking is $10.
Semifinals will be streamed by the NFHS Network ($10.99 for a monthly pass). Spectrum Cable will stream championship games (fhsaa.boxcast.com; $9.99 per game).
Here are the state semifinal matchups for Orlando area teams (class rankings are updated MaxPreps computer ratings).
Class 2A
WEDNESDAY
No. 1 Orlando Christian Prep (24-4) vs.
No. 5 Naples First Baptist (26-2), 10 a.m.
Buzz: First Baptist has averaged 21.4 wins in span of 10 seasons. Impressive, but not on par with OCP’s count of 25.2 wins per year with nine state titles in past 14 seasons. Warriors senior standouts Ven Allen-Lubin (Notre Dame) and AJ Brown (Ohio) were starters on 2020 and 2021 title teams. Warriors ousted third ranked CFCA in Region 2 final and have won 14 in a row since losing to 7A Dr. Phillips 48-37.
History: Warriors can become third school to win 10 FHSAA boys basketball titles, joining Miami High (19) and Malone (14). First Baptist lost a 2019 semifinal to state champ St. John Paul II of Tallahassee in its only previous final four appearance.
Next: No. 2 Sagemont School (24-6) or No. 4 Jacksonville NFEI (24-7), Saturday, noon, for championship.
Class 4A
THURSDAY
No. 1 Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian (22-2)
vs. No. 3 Lake Highland Prep (25-3), noon
Buzz: Calvary, the 3A champ a year ago, has a win against Dr. Phillips and is the highest-ranked FHSAA championship contender at No. 4 in MaxPreps National Top 25. Eagles have five major college prospects 6-5 or taller, including UCF signees Taylor (6-9) and Tyler Hendricks (6-4); Michigan recruit Gregg Glenn (6-8); and 6-5 juniors Marvel Allen and Carl Cherenfant. Highlanders have veteran squad led by Ohio State signee Brice Sensabaugh (6-6), who is averaging 25 points per game, after scoring 43 in region final.
History: Lake Highland makes its fifth state tourney appearance in 10 years. Highlanders were champs in 2013 and 2014, runners-up in 2012 and a semifinalist in 2020. Calvary won a 2017 title to go with its 2021 championship.
Next: No. 2 Jacksonville Jackson (28-2) or No. 15 St. Petersburg Gibbs (21-8), Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
Class 5A
THURSDAY
No. 5 St. Petersburg (24-5)
vs. No. 3 Jones (20-7), 4 p.m.
Buzz: Travis Aiken, a standout for Jones’ 2003 state runner-up team, gets back to Lakeland in his first year as a head coach. Rugged schedule paid off. Tigers have won seven in a row, starting with upset of 7A power Olympia. Tristan Gross (6-3, Jr.) averages 20.6 points for Green Devils, the Pinellas County champ. The final could include Stranahan senior Houston Culpepper, son of former UCF quarterback Daunte Culpepper.
History: Jones is 7-0 in state semifinals. Tigers were 3A state champ in 2006 and runners-up in 1987, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009 and most recently in 2011 when they lost to Tallahassee Rickards in an overtime 3A final. St. Petersburg was the 7A runner-up in 2016.
Next: No. 1 Fort Lauderdale Stranahan (25-3) or No. 6 Pensacola Pine Forest (23-6), Saturday, 3 p.m.
Class 7A
FRIDAY
No. 1 Dr. Phillips (25-5) vs.
No. 11 Seminole (19-8), 12:30 p.m.
Buzz: Defending champ DP defeated No. 3 Olympia and No. 4 Windermere to survive what FHSAA rankings said was the toughest region in the state. Seminole, led in scoring by 6-4 senior Uchenna Kellman-Nicholes, motored past six higher ranked teams to win Region 1. The ‘Noles played most of the regular season without UCF football recruits Kam Moore and twins Demari and Ja’Cari Henderson.
History: Tradition-rich Dr. Phillips finally won the big one last year after six previous final four appearances and runner-up finishes in 2007, 2010 and 2011. Seminole went 40 years between state tourney berths before its 2020 runner-up showing. This is the second final four in three seasons for ‘Noles.
Next: No. 2 Miami Columbus (27-2) or No. 7 Lake Worth (21-3), Saturday, 8 p.m.
This report was first published at Orlandosentinel.com. Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached by email at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
