Boys Basketball FHSAA State Tournament
At RP Funding Center, Lakeland
Class 5A semifinal
Leesburg (16-4) vs. Fort Walton Choctawhatchee (25-2)
When: Thursday, 2 p.m.
Buzz: Leesburg, which was outside the 5A top-10 early in the season, won 13 of its past 14 games and climbed to No. 4 in the MaxPreps power rankings. Second-ranked Choctawhatchee has a size advantage but also plays the perimeter game, with 167 3-point shots made on 554 attempts (30%). The Indians’ five leading scorers are seniors. Choctawhatchee averages 11.6 steals per game and Leesburg averages 6.5, according to team stats.
Leesburg stat leaders: Camerin James, 6-5, Soph. (20.4 ppg, 7.8 rpg); Devin Graham, 6-0, Sr. (11.3 ppg, 3.8 apg); Andre Carter, 6-3, Jr. (12.2 ppg).
Choctaw stat leaders: Jamil Bowles, 6-5, Sr. (13.6 ppg, 3.3 apg); Ezra McKenna, 6-8, Sr. (10.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg).
History: Leesburg has won three boys basketball state championships (1977, 2017, 2018), which ties Kissimmee Osceola (1982, 2017, 2019) and Oviedo (1957, 1992, 2014) for second best in the Orlando area, behind the eight won by Orlando Christian Prep. Choctawhatchee was a state runner-up in 1961, 2002 and 2018 but has never won it all.
Tickets: $10 per day in advance online (RPfundingcenter.com with $1.90 service fee); $13 game day at box office. Parking fee is $10. The arena has socially distant seating with a capacity of 2,400 for COVID-19 guidelines.
Webcasts: All semifinals will be streamed by nfhsnetwork.com (FHSAA as search term; $10.99 month subscription). Championship games will be streamed by Spectrum Sports (https://fhsaa.boxcast.com; $9.99 per game).
Saturday: Winner plays either top-ranked Pembroke Pines Charter (11-3) or Tampa Jesuit (25-4) for the championship at 3 p.m.
This report was first published at OrlandoSentinel.com. Varsity Content Editor Buddy Collings can be reached at bcollings@orlandosentinel.com.
