JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Day one of the second annual Fortegra 9:12 high school basketball invitational is in the books. We saw some impressive individual play in the first round. Friday’s games will be streamed on News4Jax.com and the News4Jax app. Saturday’s championship games will be carried live on CW 17 with a 7 p.m. tipoff. Here’s a summary of day one:
West Nassau 71 Fletcher 57
Deebo Coleman, ranked as the number 30 high school junior in the nation by ESPN, scored 30 points and teammates Justin Hicks added 22 as the Warriors moved on to the second round as they improved to 2-2. Fletcher was paced by Zyhir Sims who scored 21 for the Senators.
Next: West Nassau faces Paxon in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Friday. Fletcher faces Ponte Vedra at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
Providence 59 First Coast 21
The Stallions (5-1) dominated, holding the Buccaneers to just two points in the second quarter. Providence was led by Jack Dillard who scored 21 points, including five three-pointers. First Coast (1-3) was led by Tyree Saunders who was the only Buccaneer in double figures with 10.
Next: Providence vs. Episcopal at 8 p.m. in the semifinals. First Coast vs. Mandarin at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Episcopal 67 Mandarin 57
Episcopal raced out to a 30-15 lead, but Mandarin came back to tie it up. Episcopal made 11 three-pointers, including six from Mark Flakus and five from Parker Chappell in the win. Max McQuiddy added 16 for the Eagles. Mandarin was led by Alex Schwenke, who scored 24 in his first game this season, after joining the squad following football season.
Next: Episcopal vs. Providence at 8 p.m. Friday in the semifinals. Mandarin vs. First Coast at 2:30 p.m. Friday.
Paxon 53 Ponte Vedra 46
Playing without star Isaiah Adams, the Golden Eagles still cruised to a win over Ponte Vedra to improve to 6-0 on the season. Paxon, the number one ranked team in the News4Jax Super 10 poll was led by Michael Caswell’s 12 points and 11 each from Jakobe Williams and Quinnton Jackson.
Next: Paxon vs. West Nassau in the semifinals Friday at 6 p.m. Ponte Vedra vs. Fletcher at 12:30 p.m. Friday.