Hawthorne Advances To High School Boys Basketball State Tournament

After five Gainesville area high school boys basketball teams made it to at least the regional semifinals, only the Hawthorne Hornets (18-3) won Monday to advance to the state tournament. The other four schools came up just short, with multiple of the losses coming in one-possession games.

Hawthorne Hornets

The Hornets defeated the Williston Red Devils 45-43 in the Rural Class Regional Finals to advance to the state semifinals. The game was close all the way through, with the Hornets trailing by as many as six with two-minutes to play. Free-throw shooting was the difference down the stretch. Williston (16-12) went 1-of-2 with a chance to make it a four-point game with less than a minute to play, while Hawthorne closed the game with three straight free throws. The Hornets were led by senior Chasion Wilson, who provided a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Decarion Debose added 14 points and six steals. Hawthorne will face the winner of tonight’s Jacksonville based Hillard Red Flashes (15-5) and the Columbia County based  Fort White Indians (14-9) on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

THROUGH THE CHAOS, HAWTHORNE IS YOUR REGION 4 CHAMPIONS

THE HORNETS DENY WILLISTON’S ATTEMPT AT A THREE PEAT WITH A DRAMATIC 45-43 WIN

WHAT A MOMENT HERE AT BILL WOODS COURT AS HHS IS BACK TO STATES FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2023 pic.twitter.com/hkQXKkQupj

— Noah Ram (@Noah_ram1) February 18, 2025

Other Results

The Gainesville Hurricanes (21-8) came up just short in their 5A Regional Semifinal matchup with the Ponte Vedra Sharks (20-8), falling 60-57. The Hurricanes had no answer for senior guard David Sanchez Barrera, who tallied 23 points on 70% shooting. This was the last game in the high school career of Cornelius White. He played two seasons with the Hurricanes and now has offers to play at multiple schools, including Spaulding University.

In the 4A Regional Semifinals, the Sante Fe Raiders (17-11) were defeated by the Eustis Panthers 67-52. The Panthers (20-8) were the top seed in the bracket and played like it. They have won both of their playoff games by double digits. The Raiders were unable to stop seniors Cornelius Hines and Timothy Key. Hines recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Key added 18 points.

The Newberry Panthers (24-1) lost at home in the 3A Regional Semifinals. Florida State University High School (21-5) got the win 56-51, and will advance to the regional finals. Newberry had not lost all season and it had the game within two points with less than a minute to go, but were unable to close it out. Juwan Scippio and Henry Matthias will look get the Panthers the extra step to the state semifinals next year, as they return as the teams two leading scorers.

Close game.
Class 3A Region 1 boys basketball semifinal

Newberry 36 FSU High 40 pic.twitter.com/a65C9h8NaD

— Jake Rongholt_TV20 (@BothSidesSports) February 18, 2025