Boys high school basketball playoffs ‘25: Rough final quarter sinks Tocoi Creek in state semis

Tocoi Creek’s push for a spot in the basketball state title game ran out of steam at the finish.

Evans finished with a flurry and denied the Toros in a 60-53 win in the Class 6A state semifinals at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Thursday afternoon. Tocoi Creek (27-4) was making its final four debut and was poised for a trip to the title game.

That’s until a rough final quarter slammed the door shut.

Tocoi Creek led by nine points late in the third quarter before Evans closed in ferocious fashion. It had an 11-0 burst across a five-minute stretch in the final period to turn a deficit into an 11-point lead on the Toros. Tocoi Creek got within six late but ran out of gas against Evans, which outscored the Toros 22-11 in the decisive final quarter.

Tyson Gilbert (13 points, 10 rebounds), Marc Mitchell (12), Javares Rickerson (11) and King McFadden (10) led the Toros.