Basketball Recap: Hilliard Finds Playoff Glory Versus Madison County

Red Flashes

Margin (Wins)

12/16/24 vs West Nassau	51
02/05/25 vs Lafayette	42
01/04/25 vs Chiefland	39
12/07/24 vs Charlton County	29
01/03/25 vs Palatka	27

It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Hilliard had no problem doing just that on Friday. They were the clear victor by a 65-43 margin over the Madison County Cowboys. The Red Flashes have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten contests by 22 points or more this season.

Cj Hall was his usual excellent self, going 11 for 19 on his way to 29 points in addition to eight boards and six assists. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed three or more in the last four games he's played. Ta'Veon Dunbar was another key player, going 5 of 11 to rack up 16 points and three steals.

Despite the loss, Madison County still got an impressive performance from Micah Newman, who went 6 for 14 en route to 13 points and six rebounds. That's the most boards Newman has posted since back in December of 2024. Another player making a difference was Chad Mitchell, who scored five points.

Hilliard has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 14-5 record this season. As for Madison County, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-6.

The two teams are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. Hilliard will take on Trenton at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Trenton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 58.6 points per game this season. As for Madison County, they will face off against Fort White at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Fort White will roll in looking for their tenth straight win, something Madison County surely won't give up without a fight.