FLEMING ISLAND - Fleming Island forward Nate Lowery’s long-range shooting allowed host Fleming Island to pull away from Orange Park, capturing the District 3-5A boys basketball championship with a 58-34 win on Friday, February 7.
In the district 2-6A championship game at Fletcher High School, Oakleaf lost a 20-11 first quarter edge in the fourth quarter with Fletcher tying at 30-30 and winning eventually 33-30 to thwart the Knights title hopes. Oakleaf scored just three points in the fourth quarter with lead scorer Jelani Wright held to just five points.
"Two turnovers in late part of game doesn't help," said Oakleaf coach Jason Price. "We played our butts off; 11 points on their home court, hold a team like this to 30 points."

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In the region 1-5A championship bracket and schedule, set to start on Wednesday, February 12, region No. 1 seed Fleming Island (22-5, ranked 3rd in Class 5A) will host No. 8 Tallahassee Lincoln (16-8, ranked 18th in Class 5A), No. 4 St. Augustine (18-7, ranked 15th in Class 5A) will host No. 5 Tallahassee Leon (18-7, ranked 16th in Class 5A), No. 2 Ponte Vedra (18-8, ranked 5th in Class 5A) will host No. 7 Booker T. Washington (19-7, ranked 13th in Class 5A) and No. 3 Gainesville (20-7, ranked 6th in Class 5A) will host No. 6 Columbia (16-10, ranked 20th in Class 5A).
Semifinals are scheduled for Monday, February 17 with region championships on Thursday, February 20.

In the region 1-6A championship bracket and schedule, No. 7 Oakleaf (18-7, ranked 22nd in Class 6A) will travel to No. 2 Lake Howell (21-6, ranked 7th in Class 6A), No. 1 Tocoi Creek (24-3, ranked fifth in Class 6A) will host No. 8 Fletcher (21-5, ranked 19th in Class 6A), No. 4 Oviedo will host No. 5 Milton (19-7, ranked 9th in Class 6A) and No. 3 Ocala Forest (19-5, ranked 17th in Class 6A) will host No. 6 Crestview (19-5, ranked 18th in Class 6A).
Semifinals are scheduled for Monday, February 17 with region championships on Thursday, February 20.

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In the Fleming Island vs. Orange Park final, Lowery turned the game in the hosts’ favor with two three-pointers during a 9-0 Golden Eagles run to start the second half, extending a 20-15 halftime lead to 14 points. The 6’3” junior then hit two more triples as part of a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave the hosts an insurmountable 56-29 lead with 3:13 remaining. Lowery, who scored a game-high 14 points, only missed once in the second half.
“That was big,” Fleming Island head coach Travis Chandler said of Lowery’s barrage. “When we can get our shooters hitting shots, and the shots are falling, that is going to be great for our team. One thing that we know is that we are going to play defense. They’re going to give us everything that they’ve got on that end of the floor. Once the ball starts going through the basket, I think we can beat anybody.”
Cold from the field in the first half, the Golden Eagles relied upon a man-to-man full court press to maintain a tenuous lead. Guards Bryce Robinson, Kameron Baskin, Christian Williams, Trace Burney and Diego Rivera tightly guarded the Orange Park ball-handlers over every inch of the floor, coming off of their men to trap unsuspecting dribblers. The pressure was relentless as the Golden Eagles forced 25 turnovers, 14 in the second half. Chandler rotated 10 players in and out to keep his squad fresh, and the Raiders eventually wilted.
“We really thrive off that depth. We probably have nine players that could be starters at any school in the county,” said Chandler. “The biggest thing about the depth is that it allows us to play that high pressure defense that we play. We got fresh bodies and there is really no drop-off.”
Even when the Raiders did overcome the pressure, their hurried shots were off target. Orange Park went zero for nine from beyond the arc in the first half, and just two for 16 for the game.
“I thought defensively, we were good. But you gotta make shots and not turn it over,” said Orange Park head coach Derek Kurnitsky. “Give Fleming credit for their defense. They turned us over. You are not going to win championship games with 25 turnovers. That was the difference.”
The first half was intense, if not artistic. The teams combined to miss 16 of 17 three-point attempts in the first 16 minutes, and Fleming Island sank only four of 10 free throws. Still, the Golden Eagles, who never trailed, converted enough forced turnovers into lay-ups to maintain a lead. Meanwhile, center Quayshon Blot kept the Raiders within striking distance with a variety of moves in the low post.
Lowery’s third quarter treys had a relaxing effect on the hosts, who played with more confidence after gaining some breathing room. Wing Carson Crawford came alive with nine second-half points, including a thunderous dunk off of a rebound that threw the Fleming Island student section into a frenzy. Ayden Greenidge, a sophomore like Crawford, scored eight second-half points, including a triple from the left wing. Fleming Island sank five of seven three-point attempts in the second half.
The Golden Eagles double-teamed Blot once he touched the ball in the second half, limiting the 6’5” senior to a single point over the final two quarters. On this night, no one else was able to pick up the scoring slack for the Raiders, who scored less than 10 points in three of the four quarters.
Blot finished with 11 points for Orange Park, which ends its season with an 11-15 record.
Crawford had a double double for the Golden Eagles with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Greenidge finished with 10 points. Fleming Island’s 10th consecutive win runs their record to 22-5. The fourth-ranked Golden Eagles will host a Regional quarterfinal on Wednesday, February 12. Chandler has his sights set on more than just a regional championship.
“The state championship is always the goal,” Chandler said. “I think we’re playing really good basketball at the right time of the year, and that is what is important. I think we have the depth to create an opportunity to win the title."

In the district 2-6A championship game, Oakleaf opened fast with a 20-11 first quarter lead and led 27-18 going into the fourth quarter, but Fletcher answered with a 7-2 run led by guard Kenny Matty breaking for a steal and layup, then a second followup layup that started an avalanche for the Senators who quickly got to 27-22 in just 23 seconds.
"This team prides itself on tough defense and good free throws," said Fletcher coach Brian Gilbert. "In the first half, they got a lot of second chance opportunities that we stopped them on that in the second half. Our center, Ryder Kay, came through with some tough baskets in the second half."
Free throws and missed shots got Fletcher to 30-28 with three minutes left in the game before Fletched tied the game at 30-30 with 1:49 to go.
With overtime looming, the final points came after Oakleaf guard Tyler Owens missed a breakaway layup before Fletcher senior guard Ryan Bailey hit one free throw to 31-30.
Fletcher guard D.J. Fletcher hit two free throws for the final score, 33-30.
In a final shot to tie the game, at 22 seconds to go, Oakleaf guard Tyler Owens was apparently fouled off a three point shot attempt, but officials deemed the foul before the shot and Oakleaf was awarded the ball on a throw-in.
Oakleaf still had life with five seconds to go but could not get a shot off before the buzzer.