Williston Head Coach Talks About Upcoming Game and Path to Finals

This year’s boy’s basketball Class 1A State Semifinals will feature a rematch of last year’s championship game between the Williston Red Devils and Chipley Tigers.

Last year Williston beat Chipley 58-49 to become state champions. Now they will meet again on March 1 at 9 a.m. and the winner will advance to the championship game

Path to the Semifinals

Williston

Williston only needs to win two more games to become back-to-back state champions.

The Red Devils are 27-2, only losing to the Winter Haven Blue Devils and the Mater Lakes Academy Bears. Both of those games were nine-point losses and played at neutral sites. Williston is currently on a nine-game win streak, which is nothing new for the team that started 12-0.

Heading into the playoffs, Williston understands that each game is a must-win.

“The kids came out knowing that it’s one game at a time now, and if you lose you’re out, basically at this point,” Red Devils Head Coach Jim Ervin said.

Williston have dominated their competition on the road to states, so far. In the regional semifinals, they beat the Pahokee Blue Devils 76-18, followed by the Trenton Tigers in the region finals 95-37.

Coach Ervin talks about his team playing in the postseason

Chipley

The Tigers are 19-11 and are on an eight-game win streak. The team found success later on in the season after they started 4-6 in their first 10 games. In their second game, the Tigers played at Williston and lost 85-48.

On the road to states, they have had strong performances with a 69-44 win over the Bethlehem Wildcats in the regional semifinals and a 73-49 win in the regional finals over the Jay Royals.

Coach Ervin discusses Williston’s recent history with Chipley:

Key players

Red Devils

Willison is a strong team that can look to multiple players to do different things.

“Our kids play very well together, played together for a couple years now,” Ervin said.

Four players average 10 or more points with senior Kyler Lamb leading the team with 16.6 points per game. Sophomore Deandre Harvey puts up 11.4 ppg, and seniors Reggie White and Aramys Rodriguez average 10.5 and 10.4 ppg, respectively.

Lamb also leads the team in rebounds with 8.8 per game, followed by senior Javon Brown with 7.1. Rodriguez and White lead the team in assists with 6.5 and 5.1, respectively.

On the defensive end, five players average one or more steals per game, and Harvey leads the team with 1.9 steals a game. Lamb is the team’s shot blocker as he averages two blocks every game.

Coach Ervin talks about why his team is as good as they are:

Tigers

Unlike Williston, the Tigers are more reliant on their key players. Senior duo Albert McKinnie and Kyler Bryant lead the team in scoring averaging a combined 30 points per game. No other players average more than 10 points. McKinnie leads the team in rebounds averaging 6.8 every game.

Defensively, more players are involved. McKinnie leads the team with 1.7 blocks on average, but four players have one or more steals on average. Sophomore Malik Henderson and Bryant both lead the team with 1.2 steals a game.

Hungry For Another Title

Willison is ready to defend its title, and even more prepared to win another. The players have the experience of already winning a state championship and know what it takes. Ervin doesn’t see much of a difference between his team last year and the one he has this year other than the experience of playing another year together.

“I think we’re a little more skilled because the time our kids put in,” Ervin said.

Coach Ervin talks about the difference between last year’s championship team and this year’s team:

The Red Devils will look to take out the Tigers once again, while Chipley will look to break down the wall that stands in their way that is the Williston Red Devils. The winner will play the winner of Hilliard and Crossroad Academy in the state championship.

Williston and Chipley will face off on March 1 at 9 a.m. in the Class 1A State Semifinals.