February 19, 2025
Three Local High School Boys Basketball Teams Battle for Spot in State Final Four
By Kyle Coppola
Three Local High School Boys Basketball Teams Battle for Spot in State Final Four
Thursday night is a big evening for local high school basketball, as three area programs compete in Regional Final matchups. Each team is favored to win and will have the advantage of playing on their home court! Let’s take a look at the matchups.
Class 5A: Lecanto at Leesburg – 7 p.m.
Leesburg High School will look to return to Lakeland with a victory against Lecanto, a team it split the regular-season series with. Leesburg lost to Lecanto on Jan. 8 by a score of 51-42 but bounced back to win the district championship over Lecanto 57-46 just a few weeks ago. Tonight’s game is expected to be one of the best of the season, and with Leesburg’s loud gym, there won’t be an empty seat in sight.
(Angelo Moton has been fantastic this year for Leesburg High. Photo Credit – Joe Ott)
Leesburg has relied on the stellar play of junior Angelo Moton, who is averaging 17.2 points per game. Jalen Brown is averaging 13 points per game, while sophomore Xavier Campbell is having a breakout season, averaging just under 13 points per game.
For head coach Sean Campbell, this is a major opportunity to bring Leesburg back to Lakeland for the first time since 2021, when the Yellow Jackets fell to Choctawhatchee 59-58 in the Final Four. Leesburg has a strong basketball history, winning state championships in 2017, 2018, 2011, and 1977.
At the beginning of the season, Campbell made it clear: It’s “Lakeland or bust.” Can the Yellow Jackets punch their ticket back to the state Final Four?
Class 4A: Atlantic at Eustis – 7 p.m.
Eustis head coach Wesley Green has been confident in his team’s ability to win a state championship. The Panthers have spent the past four years building toward this moment—an opportunity to reach Lakeland and compete for a state title.
Eustis boasts one of the most intimidating home-court atmospheres in Florida, and tonight’s crowd will be no different.
(Head coach Wesley Green has built this team around this season. This is a massive opportunity for Eustis. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
The Panthers have been led by outstanding senior play, including Timothy Key (12.7 PPG) and Cornelius Hines (11.7 PPG). Lomar Sparrow has also stepped up, averaging nine points per game, while Andrew Riley and John Miller have played key supporting roles.
Eustis will have to slow down Atlantic’s standout junior, Cris De La Pena, who averages just shy of 14 points per game.
The Panthers have been on the cusp of a return to Lakeland for years. The last time they made it that far was in 2008 when they lost 72-69 to Kathleen High in the state semifinal. Prior to that, they reached the Final Four in 2006 but lost a heartbreaking 52-50 game against Milton High. Those games were coached by legendary Eustis High head basketball coach Rob Gordon who had some amazing teams in the early to mid 2000s.
Eustis has fallen short in recent years, including a 2019 Regional Final loss to Stranahan (86-62) and defeats in the Regional Final in 2015, 2014, and 2013. Can they finally break through and return to Lakeland for the first time in 16 years?
Class 3A: Tampa Catholic at The Villages – 7 p.m.
The Villages Charter High School has rapidly grown into one of Central Florida’s premier basketball programs. The Buffalo won their seventh consecutive district championship this season and have consistently made deep playoff runs including recent State Final apperances. However, one thing is missing—the school’s first FHSAA state championship.
Is this the year The Villages puts it all together?
(Aaron Britt Jr. has had a standout year for The Villages. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
Standing in their way is Tampa Catholic, a team that defeated The Villages 74-64 earlier this season. However, the Buffalo have improved since that loss and will be eager to turn the tables on Thursday evening.
The trio of Adyn Corbin, Aaron Britt Jr., and Herly Brutus has been instrumental in The Villages’ success. Jared Thompson, Jomar Bernard, and Ethan Bevis have also stepped up, helping the team peak at the perfect time.
The Buffalo will need to contain Tampa Catholic’s high-scoring duo of Willie Piggott and Isaiah Campbell-Finch, who both average over 16 points per game. Freshman K.J. Morgan, a 6-foot-8 presence in the paint, will also be a major factor.
(Herly Brutus has been almost unstoppable this season. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
Momentum is on The Villages’ side. The Buffalo have not lost since Jan. 24 against West Oaks Academy. Can they keep the streak alive and make it back to Lakeland once more?
A Historic Night for Local Basketball
It has been a long time since three local area teams have hosted Regional Finals on the same night. I am actually not sure if that has ever happened before. If anyone wants to dig into the history, now is the time—because this moment is special.
Three teams. Three massive opportunities. Can they all punch their tickets to Lakeland?
Good luck to Leesburg, Eustis, and The Villages!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
