Regional Semifinal Preview- 6A South Florida

<p>After a wild Quarterfinal week we now move on to the Final 4 to see who will play in the Regional Championship with a trip to Lakeland on the line. All 4 of these teams have had great seasons and are ready to leave it all on the floor. Let’s take a deeper look:</p> <p>#1 Pembroke Pines Charter 24-3 vs #5 St Thomas Aquinas 20-7 - Pembroke Pines made it to this game by defeating Boyd Anderson 60-31 while St Thomas handled business against Mater Academy Charter 81-64. St Thomas is led by Rice commit 6’8 2022 star [player_tooltip player_id="955771" first="Andrew" last="Akuchie"] who is averaging 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks per game.  Another key player to watch will be 6’6 2022 wing [player_tooltip player_id="1161400" first="Matthew" last="Cadogan"] who is averaging 14 points and 4 rebounds per game. Matthew is also a solid free throw shooter currently shooting 86% per game from the stripe. St Thomas has several key wins this year against Dillard, Lake Worth, American Heritage and Palmetto. These teams are no strangers as they played a few weeks ago and Pembroke Pines came out winning 64-44. Pembroke Pines is led by their seniors with 4 of them averaging double figures per game. 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="955774" first="Kolby" last="King"] who is one of the best players in the area is averaging 15 points per game and getting it done on both ends of the floor. 2022 6’6 big [player_tooltip player_id="1065434" first="Caelum" last="Ethridge"] will be a tough matchup along with their other 6’6 big [player_tooltip player_id="829389" first="Elijah" last="Wyche"]. This should be a great overall game that could go either way. </p> <p>Prediction - Pembroke Pines Charter  68-54</p> <p>#2 Martin County 23-4 will host #6 Dwyer 21-3 while these 2 powerhouse programs will collide for the 3rd time this season. Martin County got this far thanks to knocking off Dillard 49-38 and Dwyer defeated North Miami 77-58.They split the season series and now a trip to the Regional Final is on the line. Many were viewing Martin County as the underdog heading into Regionals without 2024 star [player_tooltip player_id="1306059" first="Elijah" last="Duval"] who has been out injured but that has not stopped the Tigers from winning big games. Most recently County defeated Dwyer to win their 3rd straight District title by 1 point in a thriller. County also will be at home which is huge as their "County Crazies" always come out in full force to support their team. The Tigers are led by 2022 Nova Southeastern commit [player_tooltip player_id="829398" first="Ryan" last="Davis"] who is averaging 15 points a game to go along with 3 assists and 7 rebounds. Ryan is the heart and soul of this program and will need to continue his hot streak to keep the state title run dreams alive. Dual sport star [player_tooltip player_id="1065497" first="Braydin" last="Samuels"] is having another strong season averaging over 8 points per game and 4 rebounds. Keep an eye on 2022 Jayden Pressey and 2022 Jack Pierrelus to contribute big minutes and key buckets in this game. 2023 speedster [player_tooltip player_id="1161414" first="Kamari" last="Haston"] can be a handful to guard and can get to the rim with ease. Dwyer is one of the most athletic teams in South Florida. Their roster is loaded from top to bottom with D1 dual sport athletes who go hard on every possession and play at a high level. The team is led by 2023 star [player_tooltip player_id="962569" first="Kyle" last="McNeal"] who is averaging 14 points per game and can flat out jump out of the gym. 2023 Blake Wilson is a consistent threat from beyond the arc and can get hot in a hurry he will be a big factor in this game. Blake is coming of a 29 point performance against North Miami and looks to keep his hot streak going. 6’4 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="1161408" first="Juwan" last="Dawes"] is a tough matchup averaging 10 points a game and 5 rebounds. 2023 guard Nelson Atilus is coming off a 15 point performance against North Miami and will be one to keep an eye on. This game will be an instant classic and will be standing room only.</p> <p>Prediction - Martin County 47- 43</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For more High School coverage follow our Twitter feed @AOIHOOPS and Instagram @AthletesofInfluence </p>