During this year’s high school varsity basketball season, four teams from the western communities earned spots in their respective Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state basketball tournaments. Of them, only the King’s Academy girls team is still on the hunt for a state title.
After strong showings, the season has come to an end for the boys team from TKA, as well as the Wellington High School boys and the Seminole Ridge High School girls.
The King’s Academy — For the entire season, TKA’s girls basketball team has been on a mission to return to the Class 3A final four, which will be held in Lakeland from Feb. 28 through March 1.
Two years ago, during the 2022-23 season, TKA’s girls basketball team advanced to the Class 3A final four. Four of the players on that squad — Jade Jones, Sophia Kateris, Sofia Rathbun and Madelyn Buccilli — are on this year’s team. According to head coach Chris Race, those four have been determined to return to the final four this season. Their memories of making it to Lakeland two years ago are bittersweet, as it was sweet to earn the trip, but it was bitter losing to Cardinal Mooney High School 52-39 in the state semifinals.
During this year’s regular season, TKA compiled a 17-6 record, which was impressive, since many of the games were played against bigger schools and powerful teams from throughout Florida. Even though they narrowly lost the championship game of their district tournament 55-53 to Somerset Academy-Canyons of Boynton Beach on Thursday, Feb. 6, they earned the third seed in Region 3 of the Class 3A state tournament.
In its Region 3 quarterfinal on Thursday, Feb. 13, TKA soundly defeated St. Andrew’s School, 65-27. That put the squad into a semifinal clash at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce held Tuesday, Feb. 18. Going into the game, both teams were side-by-side in the rankings. It was expected to be a close game, and it was. When the final horn sounded, TKA prevailed by two points, 57-55.
“We overcame a late deficit to come back and beat Lincoln Park in the final seconds,” Race said.
With that victory, the team, now 20-7, has moved one step closer to reaching this year’s final four. The only hurdle that remains is Somerset Academy-Canyons in the regional final — a rematch of the district finale. That game will be played Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Boynton Beach. The winner will earn a berth in the FHSAA’s Class 3A state final four at Lakeland’s RP Funding Center, which begins Friday, Feb. 28 with the two state semifinals, and concludes Saturday, March 1 with the state championship game.
TKA’s boys varsity basketball team finished its season on a high note, followed by a low note. The high note was winning its district tournament by defeating Inlet Grove High School, 63-52, on Friday, Feb. 7. Based on that victory, the team was seeded seventh in Region 3 of the Class 6A state tournament. Five days later, the TKA boys traveled to Boca Raton to play the Scots from St. Andrew’s School in their regional quarterfinal. The Scots prevailed, 71-64, which ended TKA’s season with a 16-7 record.
Wellington High School — Wellington’s boys basketball team, under the direction of head coach Matt Colin, had yet another season with 20-plus wins. After a 72-46 thrashing of Lake Worth High School in the district tournament final on Friday, Feb. 7, Wellington was tabbed as the third seed in Region 4.
In its Region 4 quarterfinal at home against Fort Pierce Central on Wednesday, Feb. 12, Wellington extended its winning streak to nine games with an 85-59 victory. That regional quarterfinal win also avenged Wellington’s most recent loss, a 63-57 defeat against Fort Pierce Central on Jan. 13.
“The win was phenomenal,” Colin said. “Everything came together during that game.”
That victory advanced the Wolverines to a regional semifinal on Monday, Feb. 17 in Orlando against the Pioneers from Oak Ridge High School. Despite thorough preparation, Wellington was unable to stop Oak Ridge, which had an impressive offense and a stifling defense, winning 91-65.
Despite the season-ending loss, Colin was proud of how this year’s team developed and matured throughout the season.
“We had a great season full of growth and hard work,” he said. “Our players competed with intensity every night through a tough schedule, and I’m proud of the way they represented Wellington, on and off the court. We faced challenges, but the team’s resilience and commitment to each other stood out, especially how we came together during the last month of the season. This group laid a strong foundation for the future. The seniors definitely left their mark. I’m excited to see what’s next for our program.”
Wellington finished its season with an overall record of 22-5. It was the 11th-straight season of 20-plus wins for WHS, all under the direction of Colin.
Seminole Ridge High School — Led by head coach Maria Hudson, the Seminole Ridge girls varsity basketball team had one of its best regular seasons in years. The squad compiled an impressive 15-1 regular season record. Their only loss was a 51-46 defeat to Martin County High School on Nov. 19. After that loss, the Hawks won 14 straight regular season games.
In the district tournament in early February, Seminole Ridge picked up two more wins. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 8, the Hawks faced Martin County again in the district final. Martin County defeated Seminole Ridge again, winning 58-54. Despite the loss, Seminole Ridge’s lofty ranking earned the team a spot in the state tournament, where Seminole Ridge was awarded the fifth seed in Region 4.
As a result, the Hawks traveled to play a regional quarterfinal against the fourth seed, Miami Southridge High School, which also had a lofty top-five ranking. Despite 10 regular season losses, Southridge justified its seeding by soundly defeating Seminole Ridge, 77-49. The Seminole Ridge girls finished the season with an overall record of 17-3.
