Gus Gibbs Memorial Invitational at Deland HS, Dec. 26-28

Oakleaf (8-4) opened with a loss to Leesburg then regrouped for a win over Spruce Creek and Deland on the final day.

Against Deland, a 50-41 win, Oakleaf was led by Aaron Rivers with 13 points and eight steals with four assists with Jelani Wright adding 10 points. Tyler Owens also had four assists. Rivers was named an All-Tournament selection.

Against Spruce Creek, a resounding 76-39 win, coach Jason Price was able to utilize his bench through most of the second half with power forward Austin Davenport leading the scoring with 20 points from around the paint. Jalen Munoz added 10 points with five rebounds, with Rivers canning nine points and five assists.

In their opener against Leesburg (8-2), a 64-57 battle, Oakleaf was led by Rivers again with 19 points with Travis Knox adding 15.

Eustis (12-2) would win the tournament title with a 61-41 win over McKeel Academy with wins over Spruce Creek and Leesburg. Leesburg finished with a 64-41 win over Seabreeze.

Oakleaf returns home to open January with St. Augustine on the road on January 5, then Gibbs (11-1), Bartram Trail and Clay to 12. Gibbs is a 5 p.m. start on Sat., Jan. 6.

Barracuda Classic

New Smyrna Beach HS

Dec. 26-28

Fleming Island was looking to roll into the New Year with a tournament win, but tired legs from a rugged Battle on the Island tournament in their home gym proved fateful as the Golden Eagles lost three of three games in New Smyrna Beach.

"We were a little fatigued, I think, from our tournament, but the guys have to know what it feels like to go back to back with tough games if we want to be successful in the second half of the season," said Fleming Island coach Traavis Chandler, before taking on Boone High out of Orlando on Friday, a 58-50 loss. "We now know about where we are as far as tournament play and can prepare better for the second half of the season."

The Golden Eagles, now 8-7 with a five-game losing streak in their pocket, traveled to New Smyrna Beach after a tough 60-58 loss to Creekside and a rugged 69-47 loss to Santa Fe Catholic, 9-2, and a top 3A school, ranked 15th in Florida, second in 3A.

Fleming Island opened with a tough Lake Howell (6-6) squad that finished with a loss to NSU University High (11-2) before finishing with a 53-32 win over New Smyrna Beach (10-2) in the power-packed lineup in New Smyrna.

Fleming Island gets little rest as the January season sets in with Orange Park visiting on January 5 and Creekside on the schedule again on January 12.

Milton Johnson Invitational

Marianna HS

Orange Park came home with two thrilling victories on the road with a last-second 42-41 win over Marianna High, 12-2, ninth-ranked in 3A, with a layup at 2.8 seconds from senior Archieve Triggs III. The Raider win snapped a three-game win streak for Marianna.

In game two, Orange Park improved to 7-5 with a 48-38 win over 4A-Rutherford High (8-6) led by Triggs with 19 points and Jacob Henson with nine more.

Orange Park returns home to face off at Fleming Island on January 5.

Around the county

Middleburg ends 2023 with a 76-51 win over Baldwin to go to 10-1. Broncos return with Yulee on Thurs., Jan. 4 and Trinity Christian on Fri., Jan. 5.

Ridgeview, 1-9, returns Fri., Jan. 5 with 7A-Jupiter (9-2) in town for a test of won/loss records and an away game at Matanzas on Saturday.

Clay, 6-3, returns with a road trip on Fri., Jan. 5 to Nease (7-6) after back-to-back losses before the break; 46-40 to Oakleaf and 68-56 to Beachside. Clay returns home for a January 9 against Menendez then a county rivalry super matchup with Middleburg, now 10-1, on January 11 followed by Oakleaf on January 12.

Keystone Heights, 6-7, returns with a three-game win streak ending 2023 with Old Plank on January 8 and Interlachen on the road on January 9. The Indians are getting a balanced attack with five players near 10 points per game led by senior Andru Seimur at 8.9 points per game. Seimur led Keystone Heights with 21 points in a 70-34 win over Tavares in the second game of the win streak.