It is district tournament week in high school basketball, and the 4A district 1 championship between the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave and the Maclay Marauders is Friday at 7 p.m. Maclay eliminated Oak Hall, who is the host of the tournament, last week.
Because there are just three teams in class 4A district 1, top-seeded P.K. Yonge (17-7, 4-0) earned a BYE in the first round along with a direct route to the district championship game. Maclay (15-11, 2-2) will seek their first victory over P.K. Yonge this season.
Previous Meetings
This is not the first time these two teams have met. In their first match-up on December 9th, Maclay hosted P.K. Yonge in Tallahassee. The Blue Wave brought the win back to Gainesville as they defeated Maclay 45-34. The second time around, things did not get any better for the Tallahassee team as they traveled to Gainesville and were routed 91-38.
P.K. Yonge Players to Watch
As the season has progressed, it has become more and more evident who is the leader of P.K. Yonge — sophomore guard Byron Smith. According to Maxpreps.com, Smith leads the team with 14.2 points per game along with 2.0 steals per game.
Smith is not the only stat sheet-stuffer on the roster as Will Banks also contributes significantly to the team’s success. Banks averages 8.8 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game and 1.0 block per game.
Head coach of P.K. Yonge, Bill Blackmon was unable to be contacted for an interview leading up to Friday’s district championship game against Maclay high school.