Fortegra High School 9:12 tourney puts hoops on display

Eight teams in field at event beginning Thursday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s time for some hoops.

A handful of the area’s best boys basketball players will be on display — on TV, radio and web — during the second annual Fortegra High School 9:12 Basketball Invitational that begins Thursday at Episcopal.

West Nassau’s Deebo Coleman and Garrett Hursey, Providence’s J. Lee Repass and Josh Himel, First Coast’s Tyree Saunders and arguably the area’s top senior, Paxon’s Isaiah Adams are the tournament headliners.

The eight-team tournament will have its Friday and Saturday games streamed on News4Jax.com.

Replays of the semifinal games will be replayed on CW17 at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The championship game will be broadcast live on CW17 at 7 p.m.

The Mandarin-Episcopal and Ponte Vedra-Paxon games on Thursday will be broadcast on the radio on 1010 AM, as will Friday’s semifinals and Saturday’s final.

Providence won the inaugural event last season.

WJXT Channel 4, CW17, News4Jax.com and 1010 XL continue to highlight high school sports on air and radio.

Channel 4, CW17 and 1010 XL broadcast the Mandarin-Atlantic Coast football game in 2018, the Fortegra basketball event last December and the High School 9:12 Classic baseball event last February.

This season, the six-team Bold City Showcase was aired on WJXT and 1010 XL in Week 1 of the 2019 season, as well as the 50th annual Northwest Classic game between Raines and Ribault. Those events were also streamed on News4Jax.com.

Fortegra High School 9:12 Basketball Invitational schedule

All games at Episcopal

Thursday

West Nassau vs. Fletcher, 12:30 p.m.

First Coast vs. Providence, 2:30 p.m.

Mandarin vs. Episcopal, 6 p.m.

Ponte Vedra vs. Paxon, 8 p.m.

Friday

West Nassau/Fletcher loser vs. Ponte Vedra/Paxon loser, 12:30 p.m.

Mandarin/Episcopal loser vs. First Coast/Providence loser, 2:30 p.m.

Mandarin/Episcopal winner vs. First Coast/Providence winner, 8 p.m.

West Nassau/Fletcher winner vs. Ponte Vedra/Paxon winner, 6 p.m.

Saturday

Seventh-place game, noon

Fifth-place game, 2 p.m.

Third-place game, 4 p.m.

Championship, 7:15 p.m.


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.