Predicting the 5A FHSAA State Playoffs

Predicting the 5A FHSAA State Playoffs By Michael Wholey 2/18/21 9:00 AM EST And then there were 8. The FHSAA 5A Playoffs have reached the Regional Semi-Finals with this Fridays winners advancing to the final 4 in Lakeland. Here is who we are predicting for 5A! 5A Who are we predicting? American Heritage High School (Plantation, FL) 22-2 <img class=" wp-image-219834 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Wyche00-2019-NYC-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="144" height="216" />American Heritage has won the last three 5A State Championships and they have been one of the best teams in the state all season. The Patriots are the clear-cut favorites to bring home the 5A State Championship and take home their 4th consecutive gold trophy from Lakeland! Their starting five is one of the most talented groups in the state, with all five players averaging in double figures. American Heritage is led by their leading scorer Junior [player_tooltip player_id="91557" first="Sydney" last="Shaw"] who is averaging 17.0 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Junior [player_tooltip player_id="91566" first="Joey" last="Delancy"] (11.0 PPG, 8.7 APG, 5.0 RPG) and Senior [player_tooltip player_id="146971" first="Daniella" last="Aronsky"] (10.1 PPG and 6.1 APG) give the squad three strong perimeter players who are all offensive threat and can break down defenses in multiple ways. The front court is made up of Florida signees [player_tooltip player_id="91549" first="Taliyah" last="Wyche"] and [player_tooltip player_id="145092" first="Tatyana" last="Wyche"], who at 6’2 are very imposing <img class="size-medium wp-image-220431 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Daniella-Aronsky-2019-NYC-scaled-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />figures in the paint for any team trying to attack the basket. The twins allow for American Heritage to be aggressive on the defensive end, knowing they can funnel penetrators to the Wyche twins who are averaging 3 blocks per game to go along with double digit rebounds and double-digit point. Offensively the Wyche twins play exceptionally well together often working the high low game, playing both inside and out. American Heritage is the clear-cut favorite to win and the only thing I can see standing in their way is depth. Should the Patriots have 2 or more of their starters get in foul trouble, depth could be an issue and the bench will really have to step up! Who is in their way? Palm Bay Magnet (Melbourne, FL) 21-3 <img class=" wp-image-204977 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Jasmin-Major1-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="114" height="171" />Prior to the season, Palm Bay welcomed a host of players from the 2019-20 2A State Championship Florida Prep squad merging together to make one of the strongest rosters in the state. On the season, Palm Bay has just three losses, with those losses coming to arguably 3 of the top 5 teams in the state (Lake Highland Prep, Montverde Academy, and Central Pointe Academy). If American Heritage starting five is the # 1 starting rotation in the state, Palm Bay has a six-player rotation equally as strong. [player_tooltip player_id="91490" first="Mikyla" last="Tolivert"] and [player_tooltip player_id="91508" first="Emani" last="Burks"] are both D1 signees and having big Senior years. Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="91638" first="Emma" last="Risch"], [player_tooltip player_id="219932" first="Jazmine" last="Major"], [player_tooltip player_id="166170" first="Alonya" last="Waldon"] have been consistent all season and [player_tooltip player_id="219923" first="Kiara" last="Williams"] is having a big Freshman year! If Palm Bay and American Heritage both handle their business, they could meet February 27 in Lakeland for the 5A State Championship.   Who are the sleepers? Clearwater High School (Clearwater, FL) 23-4 <img class=" wp-image-247570 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/01/Beckham-Hockley-crop-844x555-1611079976-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="191" height="125" />The Clearwater Tornadoes are the new kids on the block and are on a 16-game winning streak. They are young, aggressive, play with a ton of energy and compete fearlessly! They are led by a trio of young guns in Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="214172" first="Beckham" last="Hockley"] and Sophomores [player_tooltip player_id="166169" first="Olivia" last="Fuller"] and [player_tooltip player_id="166172" first="Ace" last="Sturdivant"]. With those three leading the way, Clearwater is not afraid to go deep into their bench playing 8 to even 10 players a game. Their chemistry stands out when watching them play with a sheer job and encouragement for each other. Clearwater has won their first 3 playoff games and although unlikely, is capable of winning 3 more to take home the championship. It is down to 8 for the 5A State Championship and anything can happen, why not Clearwater?   Fort Walton Beach (Fort Walton Beach, FL) 17-3 Fort Walton Beach avenged it three losses on Tuesday by taking down Pine Forest 39-38 after losing to them three times previously this season. The squad is led by Juniors 5’8 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="154867" first="Samantha" last="Sherer"] and 6’0 Wing [player_tooltip player_id="91600" first="Marissa" last="Brown"]. Sherer is the team’s leading scorer averaging 17.1 points per game and Brown is right behind her averaging 10.7 PPG. With Pine Forest in the rear view, anything is possible for Fort Walton Beach. Next up, St. Augustine.   St. Augustine (St. Augustine, FL) 25-1 The St. Augustine Yellow Jackets are an impressive 25-1 and are beating opponents by an average of 32 points. Their strength of schedule is a bit on the weak side with their toughest games coming against Bartram Trail, two games vs Nease and two games vs Ponte Vedra. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="220358" first="Kyra" last="Stauble"] is the teams captain and sets the ton with an impressive state line on the season averaging 13.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. Junior Forward [player_tooltip player_id="91588" first="Janiyah" last="Jackson"] controls the front court and is averaging a double-double (13.0 PPG and 14.2 RPG) and Senior Dana Art (10.9 PPG and 4.8 RPG) gives the team a third offensive threat. Norland (Miami, FL) 13-1 <img class=" wp-image-251988 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Jaiyah-Harris-1K-e1612279269569-262x300.jpg" alt="" width="148" height="169" />Norland has played the least number of games of any of the teams still alive in the playoffs due to COVID restrictions in Dade county. While they are not as battle tested as most of the other teams, they are program that is always playing its best basketball come playoff time. Recent Ole Miss verbal commitment [player_tooltip player_id="91509" first="Jaiyah" last="Harris-Smith"] leads her team in pretty much every statistical category (13.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 7.2 APG, and 2.1 SPG). She will have to put the squad on her back for the next 3 games if she wants to lead her squad to the promised land! She will need some help from Freshman phenoms [player_tooltip player_id="221841" first="Shania" last="Swan"] and Ka’Zahria Johnson.   Regional Semi-Final Matchups Tuesday February 16 @ 7 PM Region 1 Fort Walton Beach 39 – Pine Forest 38 St. Augustine 43 – Ponte Vedra 35 Region 2 Jones 70 – Lecanto 15 Palm Bay 62 – Lake Wales 22 Region 3 Clearwater 54 – Jefferson 34 Barron Collier 60 – Port Charlotte 38   Region 4 American Heritage 57 – Okeechobee 27 Norland 58 – Central 34   Regional Final Matchups Friday February 19 @ 7 PM Region 1 Fort Walton Beach v St. Augustine Region 2 Jones v Palm Bay Region 3 Clearwater v Barron Collier   Region 4 American Heritage v Norland Michael Wholey is the Senior Scout of Prep Girls Hoop Florida and he can be reached directly at <a href="mailto:WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com">WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com</a> or on Twitter or Instagram at @WholeyPrepHoops.