Predicting the 7A FHSAA State Playoffs

Predicting the 7A FHSAA State Playoffs By Michael Wholey 2/15/21 12:00 PM EST We are two weeks out from the end of this crazy 2020-21 High School season. Over half of the teams in Florida, seasons have concluded. We take a look at 7A teams still alive in the Regional playoffs and who we think will take home the championship! 7A Who are we predicting? Plant High School (Tampa, FL) 22-3 <img class=" wp-image-251957 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Kendal-Cheesman-Plant-169x300.jpg" alt="" width="112" height="199" />[player_tooltip player_id="91489" first="Kendal" last="Cheesman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="145094" first="Nyla" last="Jean"] have been pacing the Panthers all season leading them to a 22-3 record heading into the regional semi-finals. The duo is averaging over 35 points per game accounting for 50% of the team’s points. Their 3 losses have been by 2, 10, and 10 to Braden River, Montverde Academy and American Heritage otherwise outscoring opponents by an average of 31 points per game. Cheesman is headed to Vanderbilt and Jean is headed to Georgia State next season, look for this pair to lead Plant to a 7A State Championship! Who is in their way? Oakleaf High School (Orange Park, FL) 22-2 <img class=" wp-image-232854 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/0C8492E0-9249-46C2-9DC9-75E702C6FA56-e1611004043675-231x300.jpeg" alt="" width="120" height="156" />Oakleaf has had quite the season as well, standing at 22-2 heading into the regional semi-finals. Their lone losses are to Hawthorne and Bishop Kenny. Oakleaf has a big 3 of Sophomores in [player_tooltip player_id="91651" first="Taliah" last="Scott"], [player_tooltip player_id="91660" first="Fantasia" last="James"], and [player_tooltip player_id="166160" first="Kaylah" last="Turner"] who are averaging a staggering 54 of their teams 65 points per game. If Oakleaf continues its winning ways, they could potentially meet HB Plant in the Final 4 in Lakeland with the winner heading to the State Championship game. Oakleaf has just as good of chance as anyone to take home the 7A championship and with their big 3 all being Sophomores, look for them to be good for several years and potentially take-home multiple championships! Palm Beach Lakes High School (West Palm Beach, FL) 10-1 <img class=" wp-image-223307 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Zaida-241x300.png" alt="" width="129" height="159" />Palm Beach Lakes has played a limited amount of games due to COVID-19 and have a 10-1 record heading into the regional semi-finals. FIU signee [player_tooltip player_id="91498" first="Zaida" last="Gonzalez"] has been putting the Palm Beach Lakes on her back all season averaging an impressive 22.1 points per game. Her floor game is impressive shooting 44% from 3 and 57% from 2 while getting to the FT line 3.5 times per game. [player_tooltip player_id="91541" first="Deborrah" last="Seitu-Redmon"] has been Gonzalez’s sidekick all season averaging 12.6 points per game along with 7.5 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game, giving the Rams a solid 1-2 punch. Gulf Coast High School (Naples, FL) 21-5 <img class="wp-image-208649 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/42-Katie-Ambrose-2-e1613401914592-274x300.jpg" alt="" width="174" height="191" />Gulf Coast has six players averaging between 7 and 12 points per game. They share the ball, space the floor, and let it fly from outside shooting over 15 3-point attempts per game. They have played a solid schedule with several solid victories (Carrollwood Day, Seffner Christian, Barron Collier) as well as a few close losses to some of the state’s top teams (Brooks DeBartolo, Westminster Academy, HB Plant, Dunbar, American Heritage). Their balanced offensive attack and unselfish play make them challenging to game plan for as you can not take any one player out of the game. [player_tooltip player_id="91599" first="Reese" last="Tremitiere"] leads the Sharks averaging a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds per game while [player_tooltip player_id="91571" first="Katie" last="Ambrose"], [player_tooltip player_id="151166" first="Jordyn" last="Robinson"], [player_tooltip player_id="166163" first="Madelyn" last="Leslie"], and [player_tooltip player_id="244125" first="Ellonda" last="Francois"] are all capable of dropping double digits or more any night! Who are the sleepers? Colonial High School (Orlando, FL) 16-9 <img class="wp-image-204275 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/30-Milan-Santos-2-e1613401969665-245x300.jpg" alt="" width="121" height="148" />The Grenadiers are 16-9 and one of the youngest teams in the state with their six leading scorers being Freshman and Sophomores. They don’t score a ton of points but if they can hold their opponents to under 50 points, they got a chance at taking down anyone! More than 50% of the teams shots on the season have been from 3, solid defense and some high percentage outside shooting from Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="166212" first="Sophya" last="Barreiro"] and [player_tooltip player_id="243934" first="Milan" last="Santos"] and Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="221840" first="Dezmariah" last="Soto"] and [player_tooltip player_id="243892" first="Carmen" last="Richardson"] are their recipe to pull off the upset! Miami Senior High School (Miami, FL) 12-8 <img class="wp-image-249667 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/01/Janay-Quinn-2019-MD-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="98" height="147" />The Stingarees are 12-8 and have played one of the top schedules in the state. They are the defending 7A State Champions and are capable of getting hot and making a run if they are clicking on all cylinders. Coach Sam “Boozer” Baumgarten always has his squad ready to play and if their opponent is not ready to handle pressure, it could be a long night. If Miami Senior were to make a run look for [player_tooltip player_id="244124" first="Kiara" last="Cruz"] and [player_tooltip player_id="243961" first="Janay" last="Quinn"] to spearhead the run! Spruce Creek High School (Port Orange, FL) 18-5 <img class=" wp-image-242862 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/01/1-300x300.png" alt="" width="132" height="131" />Spruce Creek has been leaning on Seniors [player_tooltip player_id="151186" first="Kacie" last="Oelkers"] (13.9 PPG), Richainti Harrell (12.8 PPG), and [player_tooltip player_id="244112" first="Emma" last="Perna"] (8.1 PPG) along with Junior [player_tooltip player_id="91657" first="Tyja" last="Beans"] (11.0 PPG). They have won 8 of their last 2 with a 1-point loss to DME Academy and a 4-point loss to Mainland. It looks like they are peaking at the rim time and playing their best basketball at the right time.   Regional Quarter-Final Matchups RESULTS Region 1 Oakleaf 66 – Lake Mary 63 Spruce Creek 67 – Nease 63 Colonial 53 – West Orange 43 Timber Creek 70 – Dr. Phillips 52 Region 2 Oak Ridge 69 – Haines City 34 Windermere 52 – Lake Nona 22 Riverview Sarasota 58 – Steinbrenner 32 Region 3 Palm Beach Lakes 53 – Centennial 37 Jupiter 48 – Vero Beach 41 Deerfield Beach 71 – Spanish River 57 Boca Raton 67 – Coral Springs 44 Region 4 Gulf Coast 62 – West Broward 10 Western 53 - Dr. Krop 48 Miami 61 – Braddock 20 Palmetto 71 – Southwest 47   Regional Semi-Final Matchups Tuesday February 16 @ 7 PM Region 1 Oakleaf v Spruce Creek Colonial v Timber Creek Region 2 Oak Ridge v Windermere HB Plant v Riverview Sarasota Region 3 Palm Beach Lakes v Jupiter Deerfield Beach v Boca Raton Region 4 Gulf Coast v Western Miami v Palmetto   Michael Wholey is the Senior Scout of <a href="http://www.Twitter.com/PGHFlorida">Prep Girls Hoop Florida</a> and he can be reached directly at <a href="mailto:WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com">WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com</a> or on <a href="http://www.Twitter.com/WholeyPrepHoops">Twitter</a> or <a href="http://www.Instagram.com/WholeyPrepHoops">Instagram</a> at <a href="http://www.Twitter.com/WholeyPrepHoops">@WholeyPrepHoops</a>.