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11 Palm Beach County basketball teams qualify to continue chase for boys state championship

emilee smarr
·2 min read

Palm Beach County hoopers pre-gamed Super Bowl Sunday by huddling around a screen to learn whether their teams would make the road for their own game of year: the state championship.

In an FHSAA livestream on YouTube, 11 local basketball teams were announced as qualifiers for the last stretch to boys state championships at RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

Unless they're facing a higher-seeded district champion, district champions are guaranteed to host in the opening round. Four district champions and four at-large bids, determined via the FHSAA's power rankings algorithm, qualified in each region.

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Region semifinals for Class 1A and quarterfinals for Classes 2A-7A are tentatively set to open up the state playoff series on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Boys qualifiers

Class 7A

Region 2

Lake Worth celebrates a jam in the second half of the game between Dwyer and host Lake Worth on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, in Lake Worth Beach, FL. Final score, Lake Worth, 62, Dwyer, 57.
Lake Worth celebrates a jam in the second half of the game between Dwyer and host Lake Worth on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, in Lake Worth Beach, FL. Final score, Lake Worth, 62, Dwyer, 57.

No. 2 Lake Worth at No. 7 Harmony

No. 6 Wellington (advanced via at-large bid) at No. 3 Oak Ridge

Class 6A

Region 4

The Suncoast Community High School Chargers hosted the William T. Dwyer High School Panthers in boys high school basketball action in Riviera Beach, Fla., on January 25, 2023. Dwyer won 46-45 over Suncoast.
The Suncoast Community High School Chargers hosted the William T. Dwyer High School Panthers in boys high school basketball action in Riviera Beach, Fla., on January 25, 2023. Dwyer won 46-45 over Suncoast.

No. 8 Piper at No. 1 Dwyer

Class 5A

Region 4

The Suncoast Community High School Chargers hosted the William T. Dwyer High School Panthers in boys high school basketball action in Riviera Beach, Fla., on January 25, 2023. Dwyer won 46-45 over Suncoast.
The Suncoast Community High School Chargers hosted the William T. Dwyer High School Panthers in boys high school basketball action in Riviera Beach, Fla., on January 25, 2023. Dwyer won 46-45 over Suncoast.

No. 7 Miami Northwestern at No. 2 Suncoast

Class 4A

Region 4

No. 7 Somerset Canyons (advanced via at-large bid) at No. 2 Cardinal Gibbons

Class 3A

Region 2

No. 5 Benjamin (advanced via at-large bid) at No. 4 Holy Trinity

No. 6 Santa Fe Catholic at No. 3 King's

Region 4

No. 8 Saint Andrew's at No. 1 Riviera Prep

Class 2A

Region 4

No. 5 Atlantic Christian (advanced via at-large bid) at No. 4 True North

No. 7 Miami Christian at No. 2 Jupiter Christian

No. 6 Lake Worth Christian (advanced via at-large bid )at No. 3 Dade Christian

Who missed the cut?

Didn't see some of the names you expected above? Here's what happened.

Inlet Grove (19-3), Class 3A-Region 2: Seated by weak strength of schedule (-4.37) in district with King's and Benjamin

Jupiter (20-7), Class 7A-Region 2: Came up four-points short of district championship against Centennial (22-5)

Saint John Paul II (14-11), Class 3A-Region 4: Ranked one slot behind Saint Andrew's (18-9) ahead of facing − and falling − to the Scots in district finals

District Champions

Take a look at the Palm Beach County parade of district champions.

Saint Andrew's guard Brooklyn Vick (5) and Saint Andrew's forward Andrew Sineway (2) celebrate victory after the end of the 3A District 13 boy's basketball championship game between host Saint Andrew's and St. John Paul on Friday, February 10, 2023, in Boca Raton, FL. Final score, Saint Andrew's, 80, St. John Paul II, 63.
Saint Andrew's guard Brooklyn Vick (5) and Saint Andrew's forward Andrew Sineway (2) celebrate victory after the end of the 3A District 13 boy's basketball championship game between host Saint Andrew's and St. John Paul on Friday, February 10, 2023, in Boca Raton, FL. Final score, Saint Andrew's, 80, St. John Paul II, 63.

District 8-7A: Lake Worth (21-1)

District 13-6A: Dwyer (24-1)

District 14-5A: Suncoast (21-5)

District 8-3A: King's (25-1)

District 13-3A: Saint Andrew's

District 14-2A: Jupiter Christian (21-3)

Emilee Smarr is the high school sports reporter for the Palm Beach Post. She can be reached at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 11 Palm Beach County basketball teams qualify for FHSAA state tournament