- March 14, 2025
-
-
Loading
From Feb. 3-8, Sarasota's high schools competed in their respective district tournaments. For some programs, the tournament was the end of the line. For others, the tournament was a stepping stone to the regional and state tournaments later this month.
Win the district tournament and receive an automatic bid into the regional tournament. Lose in the district tournament and risk leaving your team's fate in the hands of FHSAA's MaxPrep rankings — the four district champions and next four highest ranked teams per regional bracket advance to the regional tournament.
Sarasota: 25-2, 7A-District 12 Champions
For the second season in a row, BJ Ivey’s Sailors have captured the Class 7A-District 12 title, defeating Lehigh 58-52 at home Feb. 7. The Sailors battled through star sophomore Johnny Lackaff running into foul trouble early in the first half to gut out a victory that earned them the no. 2 seed in Region 3 of the 7A state tournament, which begins at home Feb. 12 against Kissimmee Poinciana.
In the state tournament, where points come at a premium against high-powered offenses, Ivey said that his team needs to remain true to its nature as a defensive-minded machine.
“We’ll have to continue to maintain our defensive identity,” said Ivey. “We feel like we’re a very good defensive team and we can’t lose sight of that, especially in the playoffs where defense and rebounding are huge. We have to defend at a high level. We have to rebound. We have to execute our plan offensively.”
Riverview: 14-12, 7A-District 12 Semifinalists
While Riverview’s district tournament came to a close with a 79-69 loss to Lehigh Feb. 5, the Rams did well enough down the stretch to earn a spot in the 7A state tournament, where they’ll face off with no. 1 seeded Seminole Osceola Fundamental High at Osceola Feb. 12.
Although their record isn’t flashy, it’s that way for a reason — the Rams punched their ticket to the state tournament based upon their strength of schedule and quality play against good teams.
For the battle-tested Rams to keep their season alive, they’ll have to play a more consistent level of basketball throughout the whole game, said first-year Head Coach Jeff Harris.
“A lot of times this year we’ve played three good quarters of basketball,” said Harris. “In the tournament, one bad quarter will send you home. If we can be disciplined and consistent throughout the game, I think our chances are pretty good.”
Booker: 13-14, 4A-District 11 Semifinalists
The Tornadoes fell to the defending 4A state champions St. Petersburg Gibbs 81-43 Feb. 5, but don’t let that loss take away the fact that this is still a Booker team that earned a spot in the 4A state tournament due to its ability to hold its own in a tough district and region. While the Tornadoes don’t have a steady presence at point guard, they do have scoring talent on the perimeter.
Junior 6-foot-4 small forward JP Lattimore and 6-foot-2 senior shooting guard Chris Perets lead the Tornadoes in scoring, averaging 14.2 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. If Booker can get rolling offensively, then the Tornadoes may have something to say in the state tournament, at least in their opening matchup against Seminole High Feb. 12.
Cardinal Mooney: 24-3, 3A-District 8 Semifinalists
Cardinal Mooney’s brilliant first season under Head Coach Curt Kassab came to a close on Feb. 5, in the Cougars 69-52 semifinal loss to Tampa Catholic. Unfortunately for Cardinal Mooney, a dominant record was not enough to gain entry into the highly competitive 3A state tournament. Of the eight teams in Region 2 of the tournament, three hail from Mooney’s District 8.
While it’s a damper on an extremely successful season, Cardinal Mooney does have plenty of reason to be optimistic about the years to come. The team’s three leading scorers in 2025 were sophomore Jamaal George, junior Malakai Cuffy and junior Sam Reindel.
“I’m elated with the buy-in and development from this year’s group,” said Kassab. “Anytime you walk into a program that has lost nine seniors and the majority of kids hadn’t seen varsity minutes before, you don’t know what to expect.”
Riverview: 20-5, 7A-District 12 finalists
Riverview fell to Venice 71-66 in overtime of the District 12 title game at home Feb. 8. The game, which had Riverview come back from a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to force overtime, became the type of high-scoring affair the defensive-minded Rams typically avoid.
While Riverview does have the talent to score the ball in droves—sophomore Taylor Davidson leads the team in points and rebounds per game with 12.5 and 9.0, respectively—look for the Rams to slow things down and control the pace of the game with lockdown defense when they host Lakeland George Jenkins in the opening round of the 7A state tournament at home Feb. 13.
Booker: 17-6, 4A-District 11 Champions
The Tornadoes won their fourth consecutive district championship when they knocked off the visiting Gibbs 72-46 at home Feb. 8. Booker was led by a massive night from senior Jsiyah Taylor, who scored 22 points, which helped Booker lock up the no. 1 seed in Region 3 of the 4A state tournament.
“This is probably the hardest district title that we’ve won since I’ve been here,” said Head Coach Ty Bryant. “It’s a very inexperienced team with a couple of new parts to it, but they were able to push through and persevere. It’s going to get harder though — as you move through the playoffs, every game gets a little tougher and the basket doesn’t look as open, so you’ve got to work a little harder to keep the girls focused during a long high school season.”
Cardinal Mooney: 19-9, 3A-District 8 Champions
Cardinal Mooney won its fourth district championship in five years when it beat visiting Tampa Catholic 63-50 at home Feb. 8. The Cougars were bolstered by a balanced offensive attack. Sophomore Madi Mignery scored 17 points, senior Sy’monique Simon scored 15 and senior Kali Barrett added in 14 of her own.
It’s a win that gave the Cougars the no. 1 seed in their region of the 3A state tournament, where they’ll hope to secure a title after finishing as the state runner-up for the past three seasons.
“There are no excuses,” said Head Coach Marlon Williams. “There’s no excuse for us to not be prepared. There’s no excuse for us to not be mentally ready and there’s no excuse for us to not have energy for every minute of every game.”
