Gainesville Boys Basketball Advances

The Gainesville boys basketball team has advanced to the high school regional finals. A team that is led by seven seniors, put together a solid win at Englewood Tuesday night with a final score of 51-37 in the state regional semifinals.

Gainesville gave Englewood their first home game loss this season and ended the their 7-game win streak. After Tuesday’s win, Gainesville is now up to a 10-game win streak.

Kelly Beckham, Gainesville boys basketball head coach, has been happy with the way his team has played at defense lately.

Going into the game, Beckham said that his team would have to work on guarding and limiting Englewood’s three pointers and taking open shot opportunities. Gainesville only allowed Englewood to score three, three point shots Tuesday night.

Game by the Stats

• Going into the regional semifinal game, Englewood was undefeated in home game play and were ranked 19th in Florida Class 7A.
• Gainesville is ranked 2nd in Florida Class 7A and 11th overall in the state of Florida.
• Gainesville led Englewood through the entire night.
• Gainesville’s advancement to the regional final makes it their 7th one since 2008.
• Four Gainesville players scored more than Englewood’s leading scorer.

Seven Seniors

With a roster of only 13 players, Gainesville has seven seniors this season and none of them are planning to continue playing after graduation. Coach Beckham said that these seven are taking the task at hand much more seriously because they want to keep playing.

A loss wouldn’t just mean the end of Gainesville’s season, it would also mean the end of the seniors’ careers.

Gainesville senior forward, Diamond Smith, had the most points of any player with 15. He scored 9 in the first half.

What’s Next

No. 2 Gainesville will host No. 3 Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach) on Friday at 7 p.m. for the 7A regional finals. The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the Final Four on March 5th.

#2 in 7A GHS will host #3 in 7A Choctaw (Fort Walton Beach) in the boys basketball regional finals Friday at 7:00 PM in the Purple Palace. Winner advances to the Final Four in Lakeland.

— GHS Hurricanes (@GHSHurricanes) February 28, 2018