FHSAA State Tournament: Day 1 Top Performers

LAKELAND - The FHSAA boys basketball state tournament opened up on Wednesday at the RP Funding Center. Six state semifinal matchups were played between 1A, 2A and 3A. Here are the results: 2A Impact Christian 57, Schoolhouse Prep 54 (1 OT) Orlando Christian Prep 74, Bayshore Christian 53 1A Hilliard 81, Vernon 59 Hawthorne 70, Paxton 58 3A St. Andrew’s 68, Chaminade-Madonna 58 Andrew Jackson 65, Community School 53 Here is a look at the top performers. Omar Figueroa, Ven Allen-Lubin & [player_tooltip player_id="546193" first="AJ" last="Brown"] (Orlando Christian Prep) Orlando Christian Prep is basically a pick your poison team. Between 2021 guard Omar Figueroa, 2022 pair [player_tooltip player_id="712105" first="Ven" last="AllenLubin"] and [player_tooltip player_id="546193" first="AJ" last="Brown"] and 2020 guard [player_tooltip player_id="827892" first="Eric" last="Butler"], the Warriors have tons of length, versatility and scoring ability. OCP is entering its fourth straight state championship game looking to win its third in four years. Figueroa led the charge with 19 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the field overall. His attacking is smooth. Allen-Lubin and Brown are reliable from the mid-range and make plays that always impress. Allen-Lubin had 16 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 7-of-13 from the field while Brown finished with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. Butler, a Southern Illinois signee did his part with 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, keeping everyone calm. Yussif Basa-ama & Joshua Minott (St. Andrew’s) 2020 6’8" Yale signee Yussif Basa-ama had a great showing with 25 points and 10 rebounds. He made 11-of-12 free throw attempts and was all over the paint, working on tip-backs and moves to the rim. Another key piece and an impressive one at that was 2021 6’8" forward Joshua Minott who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. His upside is through the roof. A long body much like Basa-ama, Minott is a seasoned athlete who is a good ballhandler who can create all over the floor. He will be a big reason why they can win a state title. [player_tooltip player_id="828001" first="Jordin" last="Jackson"] & [player_tooltip player_id="818662" first="Calvin" last="Johnson"] (Impact Christian) Down 47-36 with 3:25 left, Impact Christian used a 13-4 run to force overtime as 2020 Warner commit [player_tooltip player_id="828001" first="Jordin" last="Jackson"] tacked on 15 points in total including the game tying mid-range floater with over a minute left. His two free throws with 1:29 left pushed the lead to 55-52 and Impact Christian held on. His speed and ballhandling are undeniable. Jackson also had seven assists. 2021 6’4" guard/forward [player_tooltip player_id="818662" first="Calvin" last="Johnson"] excelled from the start as a versatile attacker as he finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He had four straight points to open up overtime. CJ Crews & [player_tooltip player_id="828209" first="David" last="Fitzgerald"] (Bayshore Christian) Bayshore Christian did all it could in a mammoth of a matchup against Orlando Christian Prep. With very little size and depth, 2020 6’4" guard [player_tooltip player_id="828209" first="David" last="Fitzgerald"] led the way with 21 points, doing a lot near the rim. A NAIA or JUCO program should be looking in his direction. 2021 6’2" guard [player_tooltip player_id="818669" first="Charles" last="Crews"] was on fire as a shooter making four 3’s in the third quarter despite playing with four fouls. He fouled out early in the fourth quarter but proved he can hit shots with range and is in for a big summer with Team Speights. Thaddius Franklin & [player_tooltip player_id="827935" first="Johnny" last="O’Neil"] (Chaminade-Madonna) Guard pair Thaddius Franklin and [player_tooltip player_id="827935" first="Johnny" last="O’Neil"] did all they could for Chaminade-Madonna in a night where St. Andrew’s flew down the floor and finished well. Franklin, a 2021 Miami football commit had 19 points and was really good in transition. His strength is undeniable and hard to stop. As for O’Neill, the American University signee had 17 points and connected on 5-of-11 3’s, his usual damage spot. [player_tooltip player_id="827903" first="Jacob" last="Crews"] & [player_tooltip player_id="828107" first="Shemar" last="Melton"] (Hilliard) In the first 1A semifinal of the day, Hilliard ran a bunch of guys at Vernon. 2020 6’6" UNF signee [player_tooltip player_id="827903" first="Jacob" last="Crews"] finished with a game-best 29 points. His jumper is seasoned and he’s able to hurt defenses early and often because of it. As for 2020 6’4" guard [player_tooltip player_id="828107" first="Shemar" last="Melton"], he started off with a high-flying dunk and continued to work as a smooth finisher to end the game with 15-points, pacing Crews. An NAIA or JUCO spot would fare well taking a look at him. [player_tooltip player_id="716918" first="Torey" last="Buie"] (Hawthorne) Hawthorne moved into the state final for the first time since 2015 behind a 32 point outing from 2020 guard [player_tooltip player_id="716918" first="Torey" last="Buie"]. The Hornets are searching for their second-ever state title, the first coming in 1987. Buie was active from the jump adding his team’s first seven points and 13 points in the first half. He shot 10-of-19 from the field and made routine trips to the free throw line (12-of-14). The kid is simply solid, controls the tempo and does all the little things you want from your lead guard. [player_tooltip player_id="828012" first="Logan" last="West"] & Davin Daniels (Andrew Jackson) It was a nice evening for Jackson as it fought hard all night behind a solid group of athletes. 2021 guard Davin Daniels had 10 points and eight rebounds, shooting 4-of-8 from the field while 2020 Warner commit [player_tooltip player_id="828012" first="Logan" last="West"] impressed with his pure toughness, adding eight points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Jackson will have more work to do on Friday in the 3A title game against St. Andrew’s. [player_tooltip player_id="828311" first="Jay" last="Beshears"] (Community School) A 2020 Northwestern baseball commit, you have to be impressed with the way [player_tooltip player_id="828311" first="Jay" last="Beshears"] worked for Community School in his final basketball game. He had a team best 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Beshears was active as a slasher and went to the free throw line a lot. Community School will miss his leadership. AJ Lopez (Schoolhouse Prep) I came away impressed with the upside of 2020 6’4" guard AJ Lopez. For Schoolhouse Prep, he proved he’s more than capable of making plays at the cup with his 14-point performance. He’s still developing as a shooter but he’s long, bursty and plays with vocalness. Lopez should get long looks from Division II and NAIA schools. [player_tooltip player_id="717022" first="Alonzo" last="Wright"] & [player_tooltip player_id="828185" first="Conner" last="Varnum"] (Paxton) Combining for 37 of its teams 58 points, 2020 duo [player_tooltip player_id="717022" first="Alonzo" last="Wright"] and [player_tooltip player_id="828185" first="Conner" last="Varnum"] were the best pieces going. Wright is a long body at 6’6" and he was efficient, shooting 6-of-12 from the field with a team-high 19 points. He is still raw as a ballhandler and can get stronger but there will be a college that takes a long look at him. Varnum has been a true leader for Paxton for a few years now at 6’2" and he battled for all 18 points in this one.