Florida Boys Basketball Class 3A Semifinal Previews & Prediction

High School on SI will be previewing all seven semifinal and championship games as well as making predictions to see who will play for a state championship.

Jackson Tigers David Wilson (2) drives to the basket for two. The Gateway Conference boys basketball semifinal between Jackson (20-1) and Paxon (12-6), was held at Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, Fl. Thursday night, January 23, 2025. The Paxon Golden Eagles lost to the Jackson Tigers 38-68. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]2025 / Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Class 3A Semifinal #1: Friday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m.

Calvary Christian Academy (20-1) vs Cardinal Gibbons (25-4)

The Eagles have proven to be one of the top teams in the state with their dominant play this season. Their only loss was to Montverde Academy 62-55 back on January 31. Since that defeat, they have won six straight games, and they have won their last five games by double digits.

The Eagles made it to the Class 3A Final Four after they defeated Saint Andrew's 74-53. Cayden Daughtry led the Eagles with 21 points while shooting 88 percent. He is also the second leading scorer on the team with 16 points per game.

The Eagles' leading scorer is Cincinnati Bearcats commit, Shon Abaev. He is averaging 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists and nearly two steals per game.

The Chiefs enter this game riding hot with only two losses since Christmas. Cardinal Gibbons also might be playing their best basketball of the season at the moment too which is key. In their previous three games they defeated Carol City, SLAM Miami and Gulliver Prep by an average margin of 25 points.

Junior guard, Justus Herbert, leads the Chiefs with 16 points, eight rebounds and just under one block per game.

Junior guard, Aj Ambrose, is also another player to watch. He is averaging 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game.

Prediction: Calvary Christian Academy

Class 3A Semifinal #2: Friday, February 28 at 3:00 p.m.

Andrew Jackson (28-2) vs The Villages Charter (25-5)

The Tigers made the Final Four after they defeated Florida High 61-52. Prior to that, the Tigers defeated Walton and Marianna by an average margin of victory of 34 points.

The Tigers only two losses of the season were to Fleming Island and Ribault by seven points combined.

Andrew Jackson has two players who are averaging double figures. Senior guards, Jahari Simmons and David Wilson, are averaging 16 and 12.9 points per game respectively.

Simmons leads the team with 5.6 assists and 2.4 steals per game as well. He has been one of the leaders for the Tigers, and they will look to him to help lead them to victory. Meanwhile, Tay'vion Lawson leads the team rebounds and blocks per game. Lawson is averaging 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

The Tigers will be taking on the Buffalo who made the Final Four after narrowly defeating Tampa Catholic 83-79.

The last loss the Buffalo suffered came back on January 24 when they lost to West Oaks Academy 67-53. Since that loss, they have won nine straight games. In that stretch, the Buffalo have scored at least 80 points five times and have scored at least 75 points eight times.

The Villages Charter leading scorer is Adyn Corbin who is averaging 17.5 points per game. He also leads the team with 3.8 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

The Buffalo also have three more players averaging at least 10 points per game. Aaron Britt Jr, Jared Thompson and Herly Brutus are averaging 16.2, 12.4 and 10.2 points respectively.

Brutus also leads the team with 6.9 rebounds and one block per game.

This game has the potential to be a high-scoring game that could come down to the last possession.

Prediction: Andrew Jackson