Regional basketball finals have intriguing matchups in south Florida

Dr. Krop (Miami) widely was viewed as the favorite to emerge from the always-tough Class 6A-Region 4 bracket as one of the final four boys basketball teams for next week's state tournament in Lakeland. However, Krop was disqualified from the state playoffs last week for using an ineligible player, opening the door for either Miami Lakes Christian Academy (Hialeah) or Columbus (Miami) to be the Miami-Dade County representative in Lakeland.

Miami Lakes (22-4) will have a short road trip to play at Columbus (28-3) Saturday night in the Class 6A regional finals, with a trip to the state final four tournament on the line.

MaxPreps Florida boys basketball playoff brackets

An estimated 1,200 fans packed the Columbus gym Tuesday night to watch the Explorers defeat South Miami 56-50 in the regional semifinals. Boston College recruit Eddie Odio was held scoreless in the first half of the game that had 15 lead changes, but he had 11 points in the pivotal second half and grabbed 13 rebounds. Miami Lakes will have to find a way to deal with 6-foot-8 center Ralph Nin, who had 10 blocked shots for Columbus.

Miami Lakes has not been to the final four state tournament since 1986 when sensational point guard Chris Corchiani led the Trojans to their only state title. The regional final matchup Saturday night will match two active big men in the Explorers' Nin and Miami Lakes 7-footer Adrian Diaz, who registered 20 points, nine rebounds and six blocked shots for the Trojans in their 63-59 win against Miami Senior on Tuesday. Diaz believes the regional title game will be decided by the guards, however.

"I think you have to say that's it is because of our guard play that we're still playing right now," Diaz told the Miami Herald after the win against Miami Senior. "Those guys have been a huge help with hitting shots when we need them."

One of those guards is Maurice Williams, who tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds Tuesday night, including the game-clinching basket with 10 seconds remaining. Jordan Vandiver also played a key role for Miami Lakes with eight points and eight assists. All indications are that it will be a close game, as should be expected in a 6A regional final.

The other 6A regional final matchup involving south Florida teams will have Atlantic (Delray Beach) traveling south down I-95 to face Miramar.

Atlantic (22-6) will be the Cinderella team at the state tournament if the Eagles can get past Miramar (19-6). Atlantic, recognized more for its football program that has produced several Division I recruits in recent years, last made it to the state final four in 1956 when it was the state runner-up, but the Eagles can end that 55-year drought Saturday night. First-year coach Brad Flaig has more recent experience of playing in the state tournament, having coached Boynton Beach to the Class 5A championship game in 2003. Atlantic reached Saturday's game with a 63-52 victory against district rival Santaluces (Lantana) Tuesday night in the regional semifinals.

Beating Miramar will not be easy, however, especially on the Patriots' home court. Miramar is a veteran-laden, athletic team that beat South Plantation 65-50 Tuesday night. Miramar will be seeking its first trip to the state final four tournament. Miramar lost by one point in last year's regional finals, and Patriots coach Ken Kelly said the sting of that loss has been a rallying call this season. "We never lost sight of that game and have worked our tails off to get back to this point again," Kelly said. "We would like to think this is our time and that we're ready to take the next step."

DWYER CONTINUES TO ROLL
Not winning the state title in football was a major disappointment for University of Florida quarterback signee Jacoby Brissett, but the 6-foot-5 senior still has a chance to hoist a championship trophy his senior year before he graduates and heads off to UF to play football.

Brissett's game has elevated since he signed with UF, no longer having to deal with football-related recruiting questions and speculation. And Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) (28-2) has been crushing opponents along the way, including an 81-54 rout at Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) Tuesday night in the Class 5A regional semifinals.

Dwyer, which won back-to-back 5A state titles in 2004 and '05, appears to have all the components to make a state championship run. In addition to Brissett, who was big schools player of the year for both the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post last year, the Panthers have a 6-foot-10 center in junior Joell James, a consistent performer in 6-6 power forward and Penn-bound Gregory Louis, and a pair of excellent shooting guards in seniors Terrell Harris and Victor Adams. Coach Fred Ross also has a solid bench and substitutes often, allowing the Panthers to implement their trademark pressure defense that often wears down opponents in the fourth quarter.

"For a team that's big as they are, they run the floor well, they shoot the ball well. They've got all the pieces to the puzzle, without a doubt," Dillard coach Darryl Burrows said after his team was dismantled by Dwyer in the semifinals. Dwyer will have home-court advantage Saturday night when the Panthers face Palm Bay (Melbourne) in the regional finals.

DEJA VU FOR CARDINAL GIBBONS
Hashim Moore sank three free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to lift Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) to a 37-34 win at Norland (Miami) in the Class 4A regional semifinals, an eerily similar conclusion as when the teams met in the regional playoffs last year. Norland also lost to Gibbons last year when Joe Hajj made three free throws with a second remaining.

Tuesday night, the game was knotted at 34 when Gibbons inbounded the ball in the backcourt with 3.7 seconds remaining. Moore took the inbounds pass, dribbled down the sideline and let go with a shot from 3-point range. The shot was off the mark, but Moore was fouled by Norland's A. J. Roberts and made all three free throws to clinch the victory for Gibbons (18-7), which will host Central (Fort Pierce) in the regional finals.

Unfortunately, shortly after the game ended, a brawl broke out between fans and two adults sustained injuries, one of them a police officer, according the Miami Herald.

OTHER REGIONAL FINALS MATCHUPS
Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale) is on a quest to win its third state title in four years. The Panthers took another step in that direction Tuesday night with a 68-49 win against St. Andrew's (Boca Raton) behind a 20-point, 10-rebound performance by senior forward Billy Thompson. Pine Crest (24-3) will be on the road for a Class 3A regional final at Monsignor Pace (Miami), which defeated LaSalle (Miami) 66-62 Tuesday night in a game that had 18 lead changes and was tied 12 times. Pace, the 2008 state champion, was led by guard Simeon Revales, who scored 24 points, including an 11-for-11 performance at the free-throw line.

A Class 2A regional final will match Sagemont (Weston) at Miami Country Day. Sagemont (25-4) defeated Benjamin (North Palm Beach) 57-47 in the semifinals, while Country Day (25-5) rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit to beat Archbishop Curley (Miami) 49-47.

An All-Palm Beach County championship game in Class 1A could be on the horizon next week in Lakeland, but first Grandview Prep (Boca Raton) and Summit Christian (West Palm Beach) must get past their respective opponents Saturday night. Grandview (25-2) will play host to Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah) in the 1A regional finals. Hot-shooting Daniel Garga scored 31 points to lead Grandview to a 67-55 win against Lake Worth Christian, while Champagnat upset Calusa (Miami) 73-72. Grandview is bidding to make its fifth consecutive trip to the state final four tournament.

Summit Christian (25-4) rolled to a 69-42 win against Berean Christian (West Palm Beach) to earn a regional final berth against Seacrest Country Day (Naples), which lost to Summit in last year's regional finals. Summit has an outstanding inside-outside combo in 6-4 senior power forward Jean Prophete and junior shooting guard Farad Cobb. Summit Christian was the 2A state runner-up two years ago and Grandview was the 1A state runner-up in 2008 and '09. Despite residing in the same county, the teams played in different districts and did not schedule each other during the regular season. If they each win two more games, they'll meet next week for the state title.

Steve Dorsey, who covers the South Florida region for MaxPreps.com, is a freelance writer based in West Palm Beach. He has covered the South Florida high school sports scene for the past 29 years. He also is a contributing writer for American Football Monthly and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.