Boys basketball: Breaking down the district tournaments, including projected winners
Southwest Florida boys basketball teams begin district tournament play this week, the first step on the path to the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, site of the 2023 state championships.
Gateway Charter is the top-ranked local team across all classes, coming in at 40th overall in the state and 11th in Class 3A. Barron Collier is the local team rated highest in its own class, ranked No. 5 in Class 5A.
More:The latest The News-Press/Naples Daily News boys and girls basketball Power Rankings
More:Boys Basketball: Holiday Hoopfest to move from Golden Gate to Bishop Verot in 2023
Here are the schedules for all nine local boys basketball district tournaments along with our best guess at who will be hoisting the championship trophy.
All schedules subject to change. Highest-ranked team is host.
District 7A-12
Tuesday
Sarasota Riverview (6) at North Port (3)
Lehigh (5) at Gulf Coast (4)
Wednesday
Riverview/North Port winner at Venice (2)
Lehigh/Gulf Coast winner at Sarasota (1)
Friday
Championship game at higher seed
Analysis: The winner of this district is likely to come from outside of the area. Lehigh and Gulf Coast faced each other in November with the Sharks winning by 19 points. Top-seeded Sarasota had just four losses during the regular season but two came to Venice. Look for Venice to make it three in the district title game.
Champion: Venice
District 6A-11
Tuesday
Ida Baker (5) at North Fort Myers (4)
Wednesday
Fort Myers (3) at Cape Coral (2)
Baker/North winner at Charlotte (1)
Friday
Championship game at higher seed
Analysis: Charlotte finished the regular season with an unimpressive record but played an exceedingly tough schedule, including three games at the City of Palms Classic. That has them in a position to advance out of the district even without a win in the title game. Fort Myers, which failed to record double-digit wins against a similarly imposing schedule, lost by just three points at Charlotte and could get another shot at the Tarpons in the title game.
Champion: Charlotte
District 6A-12
Tuesday
South Fort Myers (5) at Riverdale (4)
Wednesday
East Lee County (3) at Immokalee (2)
South/Riverdale winner at Palmetto Ridge (1)
Meet Dunk City High School: Palmetto Ridge off to a perfect 10-0 start under John Solak
Friday
Championship game at higher seed
Analysis: Palmetto Ridge opened the season with 10 consecutive wins and has victories over all four of its district rivals during the regular season. The championship game could see a matchup between a pair of top senior guards in Immokalee’s Alijah Pierre and the Bears’ Iago Stanback. Pierre, who is averaging a shade over 20 points per game, missed the teams’ first meeting this season, a nine-point Palmetto Ridge win in early December.
Champion: Palmetto Ridge
District 5A-11
Tuesday
Dunbar (5) at Island Coast (4)
Wednesday
Cypress Lake (3) at Mariner (2)
Dunbar/Island Coast winner at Port Charlotte (1)
Friday
Championship game at higher seed
Analysis: Top-seeded Port Charlotte, ranked No. 4 in Region 3, closed out the regular season with nine wins in its final 10 games. It also earned a season sweep over rival Charlotte. Mariner, which is ranked No. 7 in the region, bounced back nicely after opening the season with five losses in its first six games and will likely present the biggest challenge to the Pirates. The Tritons’ one-two punch of junior guards Justin Lewis (14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists) and Marcus Kelley Jr. (13.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists) will need to come up big for Mariner in a potential championship showdown at Port Charlotte.
Champion: Port Charlotte
District 5A-12
Tuesday
Bonita Springs (5) at Golden Gate (4)
Wednesday
Lely (3) at Naples (2)
Bonita/Golden Gate winner at Barron Collier (1)
Friday
Championship game at higher seed
Analysis: Barron Collier, which lost 69-66 to eventual state runner-up St. Petersburg in the Class 5A, Region 3 final last season, is eyeing a final four berth this year. The Cougars are the No. 5 ranked team in the class and the top team in the region. Barron Collier defeated district rivals Naples and Golden Gate twice during the regular season and Lely once. The Cougars, led by seniors Bryce Clayton (16.9 points, 3.6 rebounds) and Noah French (16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists), should be considered overwhelming favorites to win their second consecutive district crown.
Champion: Barron Collier
District 4A-12
Monday
LaBelle (4) at Clewiston (5)
Wednesday
Estero (3) at Lemon Bay (2)
LaBelle/Clewiston winner at Gateway (1)
Friday
Championship game at higher seed
Southwest Florida boasts several boys hoops teams on the rebound
Analysis: Gateway, the No. 2 ranked team in Region 3, won the first district championship in program history last season and is looking to make it two in a row after moving up to Class 4A. The Eagles didn’t face any of their district opponents during the regular season but will face a challenge from either Lemon Bay or Estero, led by senior guard AJ Tatham, who’s averaging 23 points per game.
Champion: Gateway
District 3A-12
Monday
Bishop Verot (6) at Community School (3)
Oasis (5) at Canterbury (4)
Tuesday
Verot/Community winner at First Baptist (2)
Oasis/Canterbury winner at Gateway Charter (1)
Friday
Championship game at highest seed
Analysis: Gateway Charter is the highest-ranked team across all classes in Southwest Florida, coming in at No. 40 overall, five spots ahead of Barron Collier. However, First Baptist closed out the regular season with eight wins in its final nine games, including a 64-63 road victory over the Griffins. The two are on a collision course for another matchup to decide the district champion and could potentially both meet again in the state tournament.
Champion: First Baptist
District 2A-11
Monday
Sarasota Classical (6) at Sarasota Christian (3)
SFCA (5) at Gulf Coast HEAT (4)
Wednesday
Sarasota Classical/Sarasota Christian winner at ECS (2)
SFCA/HEAT winner at Bradenton St. Stephen’s (1)
Thursday
Championship at higher seed
Analysis: It’s exceedingly likely that ECS and St. Stephen’s meet to decide who advances to the Class 2A state tournament. The top-seeded Falcons, ranked No. 19 in 2A, more than 30 spots higher than the Sentinels, are unbeaten on their home court this season and are the favorites to stay that way, at least through the 2A-11 tournament.
Champion: Bradenton St. Stephen’s
District 2A-12
Monday
Everglades City (5) at Village School (4)
Tuesday
Donahue (3) at Seacrest (2)
Everglades/Village winner at St. John Neumann (1)
Thursday
Championship game at higher seed
Analysis: The top-seeded Celtics swept both Seacrest and Donahue in pair of regular-season matchups. Look for the combo of senior guard Eric Morgan (18.1 points, 3,9 assists) and 6-foot-6 freshman forward Jack London (12.1 points, 9.5 rebounds) to help power Neumann to the district title.
Champion: St. John Neumann
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Southwest Florida boys basketball district schedules and analysis
