Hillsborough boys basketball regional quarterfinal games
All games begin at 7 p.m.
By wire services
Published February 26, 2004
CLASS 6A
Bloomingdale at Orlando Cypress Creek
THE SKINNY: The Bulls (14-13) lucked out with their first-round opponent because the rest of the region is pretty tough. Still, Bloomingdale could have a hard time with the Bears (15-12), who defeated a strong Orlando Timber Creek team in the district final.
Orlando Timber Creek at Riverview
THE SKINNY: These two should be evenly matched with the Sharks (18-7) hoping Jeff Kovacs and Patrick Wonsey (each scoring 15 points per game) can carry them to the next round. Timber Creek (20-7) is a district runnerup, but it was a close game.
CLASS 5A
Plant at Gaither
THE SKINNY: Gaither (19-7) is among the top three teams in the county, and the Panthers will have a hard time contending with that. Plant (14-11) has shown some spark, though, giving top-ranked Brandon all it could handle in the district final, losing by 10.
Chamberlain at Brandon
THE SKINNY: So far, the Eagles (24-3) have proved they can hold their own without injured forwad Zaronn Cann. They should enjoy it while it lasts. The Chiefs (14-14) should provide an easy victory for the Eagles, but the semifinals and final will be tough.
CLASS 4A
Lake Wales at Tampa Bay Tech
THE SKINNY: Tampa Bay Tech (18-7) is one of the county's most athletic and well-coached teams and matches up well with the Highlanders (15-12). The Titans also get a good home crowd, which will give them a boost against their Polk County opponents.
Blake at Winter Haven
THE SKINNY: Blake (15-10) should brace itself for a long night. Winter Haven's record (25-0) speaks for itself, and it survived one of Class 4A's toughest districts to advance.
CLASS 3A
Robinson at Avon Park
THE SKINNY: Robinson (11-16) surprised St. Petersburg Catholic in the district final with gritty play by Arnauldo Abreu and Antwon Royal, giving the sixth-ranked Barons some trouble. Beating Avon Park (22-5) will be more of a challenge, but anything is possible.
CLASS 2A
Mount Dora Bible at Berkeley Prep
THE SKINNY: Berkeley coach Bobby Reinhart said his team should be prepared for a strong playoff run after working together for three seasons. That means the No. 5-ranked Bucs (24-3) should be mature enough to not look past Mount Dora Bible (19-9) to a possible region final against No. 3 Admiral Farragut. The Bucs still have high-scoring Spiros Ferderigos (20 points per game) but this season have more balance.
CLASS A
Bradenton Christian at Cambridge
THE SKINNY: If everything goes as expected, No. 8 Bradenton Christian (23-4) should have its way with the Lancers. Yes, Cambridge (15-9) pulled off an upset in the district final against Bayshore Christian 46-43, but consecutive upsets might be asking a bit too much.
Bayshore Christian at Sarasota Out-of-Door
THE SKINNY: The Faith Warriors (24-4) try to bounce back after losing the district final, but they face a few problems. Among them is Out-of-Door, (20-8), which is riding high after pulling off a district final upset of state-ranked Bradenton Christian.
