High School

Predicting the Osceola County boys high school basketball district playoffs

St. Cloud, Kissimmee Osceola, Gateway ones to watch

Jeff Gardenour

St. Cloud combo guard Julian Fox has led the Bulldogs to a 22-3 record and the No. 1 seed for this week's Class 7A, District 6 tournament.
St. Cloud combo guard Julian Fox has led the Bulldogs to a 22-3 record and the No. 1 seed for this week's Class 7A, District 6 tournament. / Julian Fox

Osceola County has been a sports mecca for decades, producing some of the best athletes in the state.

The 2024-25 school year is no different as boys’ basketball teams have recorded some impressive regular season records and now are geared up for big postseason runs.

The road to the Final Four begins this week as district tournaments tip off at venues across Central Florida. Each district champion and the top four highest-ranked teams by the FHSAA in each region advance to the regional playoffs.

We looked at district tournaments in five classifications involving teams from Osceola County and made predictions on who will win a title.

Our predictions are based on seeding, head-to-head matchups, current play, and more. Without further ado, here they are:

CLASS 7A

District 6: Two Osceola County schools – top-seeded St. Cloud (22-3) and No. 2 Harmony (17-8) – will be at the forefront of everybody’s interest in this five-team event.  The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven games. Senior Alex Springs (11.6 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game, 1.6 steals per game) leads St. Cloud.

Prediction: St. Cloud

District 9: One of Central Florida’s top teams – Kissimmee Osceola (21-3) – has got to top billing for this six-team event, which includes multiple Polk County schools. No. 2 Poinciana (15-9) could threaten. Leading the Kowboys is junior combo guard Luke McCrimmon (17.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.9 spg).

Prediction: Osceola

CLASS 5A

District 7: Kissimmee Gateway (11-10) is seeded first but figures to get challenged by No. 2 New Smyrna Beach (17-7).

Prediction: Gateway

CLASS 4A

District 7: Kissimmee Liberty (14-4) is one of only two Central Florida schools – Bishop Moore is the other –in this tournament, but the Chargers are seeded No. 1. Leading Liberty is sophomore guard Lamar Lee (13.1 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.6 spg).

Prediction: Liberty

CLASS 2A

District 5: New Dimensions (4-12) is seeded No. 5 and face quite the challenge with Santa Fe Catholic (Lakeland, 17-8) at No. 1, and Foundation Academy (17-8) at No. 2. Freshman guard Rodney Malet (14.6 ppg, 8.4 rpg) leads New Dimensions.

Prediction: Santa Fe Catholic

CLASS 1A

District 9: City of Life Christian (Kissimmee, 13-7) is seeded No. 2 and having a solid season. Leading the Warriors is sophomore guard Nathan Thompson (15.1 ppg, 2.4 spg). Victory Christian (Lakeland, 19-6) is the top seed.

Prediction: Victory Christian

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--- Follow Jeff Gardenour on Twitter @JMarkG1962 or email him at jgardenour1962@gmail.com

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Jeff Gardenour
JEFF GARDENOUR

Jeff Gardenour is a Florida native and long-time resident of the Sunshine State. He is a journalism veteran of more than four decades, having worked in a number of news divisions through the years for multiple media outlets, including Gannett and Tribune Company. A University of Florida journalism graduate, Jeff has covered every level of sports, including MLB, USFL, XFL, WNBA, NCAA, IMSA, high schools and more. He is a former award-winning sports editor of the Sebring News-Sun and current freelance writer for SBLive Sports, PrepVolleyball.com and The Orlando Sentinel. Jeff is married with two children and resides in Oviedo, FL. He can be reached at jgardenour1962@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @JMarkG1962.

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