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Marvin Christie took flight for one dunk, and showed the state he was back.
A minute later, another one. Providence's championship chase is on.
Hobbled all week by a lower leg injury, Christie swung the momentum with two dunks in two second-half minutes to turn a one-score game into a XX-XX triumph over St. Petersburg Northside Christian in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A boys basketball semifinal on March 6.
The Stallions (28-3), winners of 16 consecutive games in a streak that started against Northside Christian on Dec. 30, need one more win for Jacksonville's boys basketball state title for a decade and the first ever on home hardwood.
Their chance for that victory comes against Miami Country Day at 7:30 p.m. March 7. At UNF Arena, Providence will play for a fourth FHSAA championship but its first since 2015, fewer than 10 miles from their Hodges Boulevard home.
They might not have made it there without Christie, questionable throughout the week with a lower leg injury originally feared to be a damaged Achilles tendon.
Providence led 25-22 at the break when the Jacksonville State-committed guard began the half with a rim-rattling dunk that brought the arena to its feet. Two possessions later, he did it again.
It was 31-22 then, and far from over -- Northside Christian didn't throw in the towel, trimming the margin to five after a pair of CJ Hearn threes -- but Providence found firm footing on the road to the final.
Nothing stopped the Stallions. Not a bout of foul trouble for Nolan Nelson, who sat for eight first-half minutes after collecting his second foul — Providence lost only one point off its lead during that span. And not Northside Christian senior forward Jordan Bender, who scored 11 points in the first 10 minutes before cooling off.
Providence buried all doubt after a chippy sequence that ignited a five-point swing midway through the fourth. Bender picked up a foul and a technical foul for a dead-ball incident that sent Providence's Ryan Gornto to the floor. Gornto, a 96 percent shooter from the line, hit both shots and then drained a 3-pointer from the corner for the dagger.
The Stallions showed balance throughout. Point guard Luke Mayberry, who sparked the offense with eight first-quarter points, led the Stallions with 14. Christie and Will Stewart each had 12, and Nelson added 10.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Providence-Northside Christian, FHSAA high school boys basketball semi
Continue reading...
A minute later, another one. Providence's championship chase is on.
Hobbled all week by a lower leg injury, Christie swung the momentum with two dunks in two second-half minutes to turn a one-score game into a XX-XX triumph over St. Petersburg Northside Christian in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A boys basketball semifinal on March 6.
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The Stallions (28-3), winners of 16 consecutive games in a streak that started against Northside Christian on Dec. 30, need one more win for Jacksonville's boys basketball state title for a decade and the first ever on home hardwood.
Their chance for that victory comes against Miami Country Day at 7:30 p.m. March 7. At UNF Arena, Providence will play for a fourth FHSAA championship but its first since 2015, fewer than 10 miles from their Hodges Boulevard home.
They might not have made it there without Christie, questionable throughout the week with a lower leg injury originally feared to be a damaged Achilles tendon.
You must be registered for see images
Providence led 25-22 at the break when the Jacksonville State-committed guard began the half with a rim-rattling dunk that brought the arena to its feet. Two possessions later, he did it again.
It was 31-22 then, and far from over -- Northside Christian didn't throw in the towel, trimming the margin to five after a pair of CJ Hearn threes -- but Providence found firm footing on the road to the final.
Nothing stopped the Stallions. Not a bout of foul trouble for Nolan Nelson, who sat for eight first-half minutes after collecting his second foul — Providence lost only one point off its lead during that span. And not Northside Christian senior forward Jordan Bender, who scored 11 points in the first 10 minutes before cooling off.
Providence buried all doubt after a chippy sequence that ignited a five-point swing midway through the fourth. Bender picked up a foul and a technical foul for a dead-ball incident that sent Providence's Ryan Gornto to the floor. Gornto, a 96 percent shooter from the line, hit both shots and then drained a 3-pointer from the corner for the dagger.
The Stallions showed balance throughout. Point guard Luke Mayberry, who sparked the offense with eight first-quarter points, led the Stallions with 14. Christie and Will Stewart each had 12, and Nelson added 10.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Providence-Northside Christian, FHSAA high school boys basketball semi
Continue reading...
