The 2024-25 regular season for high school basketball has come to an end, and the postseason playoffs are now underway. Boys and girls high school basketball teams in Florida have been busy competing in their local district tournaments, hoping to earn a spot in their respective Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) state tournaments.
In the western communities, the high school basketball teams with the strongest chances to advance deep into the state tournament are the Wellington High School boys, the Seminole Ridge High School girls, and the boys and girls teams from the King’s Academy.
Wellington High School’s boys varsity basketball team is well-positioned for a deep postseason run. After compiling a 19-4 regular season record, the Wolverines earned the top seed in the Class 7A, District 8 tournament. Wellington’s first district game, a semifinal matchup, was on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at home against Palm Beach Gardens High School (14-10). The result was not available at press time.
With a win over Palm Beach Gardens, Wellington would face the winner of the other semifinal — Palm Beach Central or Lake Worth — on Friday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. Wellington defeated both Palm Beach Central and Lake Worth during the regular season. The winner of the district tournament will get an automatic bid into the FHSAA’s Class 7A tournament. If Wellington loses in the district tournament, then the Wolverines will certainly earn a bid into the Class 7A tournament based on their high state ranking.
The Wolverines, led by head coach Matt Colin, are playing well. They have won nine of their last 10 games. Their most likely district final opponent on Feb. 7 is Palm Beach Central, which is the No. 2 seed. It would be the third time that Wellington will have played Palm Beach Central this season. Wellington won both prior contests, 47-43 on Dec. 13 and 50-33 on Jan. 17.
The girls varsity basketball team from Seminole Ridge High School has had an outstanding season to date. Under head coach Maria Hudson, Seminole Ridge has compiled a strong 15-1 regular season record. In their Class 6A, District 13 tournament, it will be a big surprise if the Hawks do not play Martin County High School on Saturday, Feb. 8 in the championship game. The two teams met in the regular season on Nov. 19. In that game, Martin County won, 51-46.
Regardless of the final score in the finale, both teams will earn bids in the FHSAA’s Class 6A state tournament. Don’t be surprised if they meet again in one of the three upcoming regional games. Seminole Ridge is led by seniors Janiah Suprius and Jayla Midget, who are averaging 19.1 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. The squad has the talent to earn their way to the state final four, which will be held at Lakeland’s RP Funding Center in early March.
The King’s Academy girls, led by head coach Chris Race, are determined to keep winning, all the way to the Class 2A state finals in Lakeland. Their first order of business is to win the Class 2A, District 11 tournament.
As the second seed, TKA is expected to reach the tournament final on Friday, Feb. 7 against Somerset Academy Canyons of Boynton Beach. It would be a rematch of their regular season game on Tuesday, Jan. 21, which Somerset Academy won, 63-55.
Regardless of who wins the district tournament, both will earn bids into the Class 2A state tournament, based on their lofty rankings. That means that the chance of another game between them in the regional round is quite likely. TKA is led by senior Jade Jones, who is averaging 12.9 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game.
The boys varsity basketball team from TKA (14-6) concluded its regular season by winning seven of its last eight games. The Lions are the top seed in the Class 2A, District 11 tournament. Their first district game was against American Heritage on Wednesday, Feb. 5, but the result was not available at press time. The Lions are projected to play Cardinal Newman High School for the district title on Friday, Feb. 7. With a victory, TKA will earn a bid into the Class 2A state playoffs. The team is led by senior Javian Jones, who is averaging 19.1 points per game.
