Three St. Petersburg area schools are headed to the FHSAA boys and girls basketball state semifinals this week, a solid showing for the city’s high school programs.
Northside Christian and Boca Ciega advanced on the boys side, while St. Petersburg High punched its ticket in girls play. All three won region finals decided by 11 points or fewer, with Boca Ciega and St. Petersburg both rallying from deficits in the second half.
St. Petersburg girls advance to state semifinals
The St. Petersburg High girls basketball team is headed to the Class 5A state semifinals after rallying past Clearwater 56-53 in the region final.
The Green Devils trailed by six entering the fourth quarter before closing out the Tornadoes down the stretch. It was the third time St. Petersburg beat Clearwater this season, with two of those games decided by three points or fewer.
Sophomore Shaw Summer led the way with 17 points and six rebounds, while Quay Curry added 15 points and four rebounds. Summer averaged 19 points and 13 rebounds per game as a freshman last season, and her ability to score from anywhere on the court has made the Green Devils difficult to contain. First-year coach Chris Hanlon returned nearly his entire roster from a team that reached the region semifinals a year ago.
Boca Ciega beats rival to make final four
Boca Ciega punched its ticket to the Class 4A boys basketball state semifinals with a 61-58 victory over rival Gibbs in the region final.
The win carried extra weight. Gibbs had reached the state semifinals four years running and played for the state title each of the last two. The Gladiators also beat Boca Ciega twice this season — once in the regular season and again in the district tournament final.
The Pirates trailed by double digits midway through the first half but chipped away and held on down the stretch to flip the script on their crosstown rival.
Northside Christian reaches state semifinals
Northside Christian is headed to the Class 2A boys basketball state semifinals after beating Naples First Baptist 58-47 in the region final.
The Mustangs, coached by former NBA veteran Marreese Speights in his first season, are 19-11 after rattling off five straight wins heading into the final four. The record reflects a demanding schedule that included elite tournaments in North Carolina, Georgia and Gainesville.
Speights, a St. Petersburg native who spent 10 seasons in the NBA, took over a program that went 9-16 last year. He brought several players from his AAU program and paired them with a number of returning standouts, including Elijah Ahlers, a junior guard who averaged nearly 22 points per game as a sophomore.