Florida high school boys basketball Class 7A Semifinals preview, predictions

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.

Cayden Boozer of the Miami Columbus High School basketball team drives to the basket during the championship game against Montverde at the City of Palms Classic at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers on Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. He is defended by Hakeem Weems of Montverde Acdademy. Miami Columbus won. / Andrew West/The News-Press / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The FHSAA Class 7A boys basketball final four teams are set in the state of Florida and the classification did not disappoint. We've seen plenty of upsets as well as some thrilling finishes over the last couple of weeks.

Heading into Thursday's state semifinal games, both matchups should be intriguing to watch as we feature a couple of first-time semifinalists.

In our first semifinal, the No. 4 seed Seminole (Sanford) Seminoles take on the No. 1 seed Columbus Explorers who are making their fourth consecutive Final Four appearance. In the second semifinal, the No. 3 seed Sarasota Sailors make their Final Four debut, taking on the No. 2 seed Windermere Wolverines.

Class 7A Semifinal #1: Friday, March 7 at 11:00 a.m.

Seminole (Sanford) (16-11) vs Columbus (26-3)

The Seminole (Sanford) Seminoles are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2022, when they lost in the semifinals to Dr. Phillips, 66-52.

This year's Seminoles under first-year head coach Shawn Ready are looking to get to a state championship game for the first time since 2020 when they lost to Miramar, 66-51.

The Seminoles reached the Final Four as a non-district champ when they lost to Lake Mary in the district semifinals back on February 5.

The Seminoles have pulled off three straight wins with two of them coming by single-digits and defeated Apopka, 54-32 to reach the Final Four.

The Seminoles have been led this season by 6'0 senior point guard Jorden Pittman who is averaging 17.1 points and 2.4 assists per game.

The Columbus Explorers are back in the Final Four for the fourth consecutive season and are ranked No. 1 in the country, according to High School on SI's latest rankings.

The Explorers are just two wins away from becoming the fourth school to win four straight state championships and the first Miami-Dade County school to accomplish the feat since Miami Norland from 2013 to 2016.

The Explorers come into the Final Four on a 12-game winning streak dating back to December 29 when they lost to Link Academy (Missouri) at the Jordan Brand Classic.

The Explorers have been led by 6'10 power forward Cameron Boozer, who is signed with Duke University averaging 22.6 points and 12.0 rebounds per game this season. Also, keep an eye on 6'8 junior forward Caleb Gaskins, 6'5 junior guard Jaxon Richardson, and 6'5 senior point guard Cayden Boozer, who is also signed to play at Duke next season.

Prediction: Columbus

Class 7A Semifinal #2: Friday, March 7 at 3:00 p.m.

Sarasota (28-2) vs Windermere (25-5)

The Sarasota Sailors have not reached the Final Four in 56 years... Well that drought is over as they well welcome the Windermere Wolverines who are in the Final Four for the first time since 2019.

The Sailors have won a program-record 28 games this season, including 18 straight dating back to December 19 when they lost to Palmetto.

The Sailors have defeated Poinciana, Plant City, and Kissimmee Osceola to reach the Final Four with two of those three wins coming by double-digits.

The Sailors have been led this season by 6'2 sophomore combo guard Johnny Lackaff who is averaging 21.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Also, keep an eye on 6'6 junior forward David Young who is averaging 12.0 points per game for the Sailors this season.

The Wolverines are in the Final Four for just the second time in program history and are two wins away from clinching the school's first-ever state championship.

The Wolverines reached the Final Four by defeating Oak Ridge, 62-58 in the regional final back on February 20.

The Wolverines come into Friday's final four matchup on a six-game winning streak dating back to January 29 when they lost to Class 6A regional finalist Edgewater.

The Wolverines have three players averaging in double-figures this season, led by 6'8 senior power forward TJ Drain, who is signed with Liberty University averaging 19.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game this season. Also, keep an eye on 6'2 senior guard Sean Owens who is averaging 13.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season.

The Wolverines have a high-potent offense this season, averaging 69.3 points per game this season and have eclipsed the 75-point plateau six times. Defensively, they are allowing just 49.1 points per game where they've held the opposition under 50 points, 16 times in 30 games this season.

Prediction: Windermere