Hawthorne Boys Basketball Coach Previews Matchup Against Fort White

The Hawthorne Hornets (14-4) will play the Fort White Indians (16-5) in the boy’s basketball semifinal for the 1A District 6 Championship.

This game will be a challenge for the Hornets because it’s at Fort White. The Indians are 7-0 at home, and all of Hawthorne’s four losses have been on the road.

Hawthorne head coach Greg Bowie talks the challenge of being on the road:

Hornets’ Season

Hawthorne has finished strong with a 10-game win streak and went undefeated at home. Not only that, but three of the Hornets’ four losses have been within six points. Their biggest loss came at he hands of Williston, losing 61-48.

Hornets junior guard CJ Ingram has been Hawthorne’s go-to guy. He leads the team in almost every category. He averages 24.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.7 steals and 1.7 blocks. Ingram had a season high 41 points in the team’s first matchup against Chiefland. The only time he was held under double-digits was against the team’s loss to Mariner, when he scored just six.

Bowie says that junior Dacarion Debose has made improvements throughout the year. He averages 10 point per game and has scored double-digits in four of his last five games including a season high 27 point performance in Hawthorne’s last win over Chiefland. This compares to two double-digit games in his first five to start the season.

Bowie talks about Debose’s improvements:

Indians’ Season

To start the season, the Indians started with three four-game win streaks. With a strong 12-3 start, Fort White did not end how they started. In their last seven games, they went 4-2. When on the road the team went 8-4 and was 1-1 at neutral sights. Fort White is currently on a three-game win streak and most recently beat Bradford 65-34 on the road.

Bowie on Fort White:

The winner of this game will take on the winner of Newberry vs. Union County in the 1A District 6 Championship Game on Saturday.