The 2017-18 boys basketball season returns for its second half beginning tonight, and there are plenty of good story lines to follow.
We look at some of them below.
Santaluces is one of five teams in District 10-9A that could challenge for a championship. The Chiefs placed second at the D-Hop Holiday Tournament. (Andres Leiva/Palm Beach Post)
1. Will Palm Beach Lakes and Wellington return to the state tournament this season? It’s possible. Last year, Wellington and Palm Beach Lakes represented the county at the state championships in Lakeland, with both falling in the semifinals – the Wolverines in Class 9A, and the Rams in Class 8A. Wellington has picked up where it left off, starting the season 14-0. Last weekend, the Wolverines won The Rock Classic tournament championship, and carry plenty of momentum heading into the remainder of the regular season. The Rams started more slowly, opening 6-4. But Palm Beach Lakes has had to replace four of its five starters from last season, and it has taken time to get in sync. The Rams’ schedule hasn’t been easy, either, and will continue to pose a challenge with some tough district games looming. Palm Beach Lakes plays 12-1 Forest Hill Tuesday, and has a big game against Class 8A state title contender Dwyer Jan. 19.
2. District 10-9A one to watch: There are five teams in this highly competitive district that could challenge for the championship, but only two will advance to regional play. Lake Worth (last year’s winner), Atlantic (last year’s runner-up), Santaluces, Boca Raton and Spanish River all have been ranked in the Post’s top 10 this season, and all carry plenty of talent. The unbeaten Trojans – with no district losses – lead the pack heading into the second half of the season, while the Chiefs (loss to Lake Worth), Bobcats (two district losses), Sharks (two district losses) and Eagles (three district losses) are just behind. Buckle up.
3. Can Forest Hill keep it up?: The Falcons have engineered a huge turnaround in coach Tony Watson’s second season, starting 12-1 after finishing 9-15 last year. Forest Hill has gotten tremendous play from a trio of returning senior starters (guard Philip Lyttle and wings Shawn Kelly and Tristan Stephens), and has plenty of momentum going into the second half of the season. But challenges lie ahead with a tough district schedule that includes Class 8A 2017 state semifinalist Palm Beach Lakes (Tuesday), Royal Palm Beach (Jan. 23) and one-loss Dwyer (Jan. 30), plus non-district games against unbeaten Lake Worth (Feb. 2) and D-Hop finalist Santaluces (Feb. 9). Forest Hill will be tested, but the Falcons are confident they will be in the district championship mix.
Also worth watching … Lake Worth and Wellington are unbeaten, while Suncoast and Dwyer are a combined 23-3. Can those teams maintain their momentum? … Benjamin was on a roll until it ran into a couple of tough teams at the D-Hop Tournament, and then lost leading scorer Ben Lubarsky for a few weeks with a foot injury. Will the Bucs regroup? …. Former St. Andrew’s standout Anthony Polite is now an FSU freshman, but the Scots have continued to win without the 2017 Small Schools Player of the Year. St. Andrew’s is 8-4 …. Grandview Prep also continues to win despite losing a handful of players in the offseason. The Pride – who won the 2016 Class 2A state championship – are 8-1. … Watch Olympic Heights. The Lions have lost at least 18 games in each of the past nine seasons, but are 5-5 after a solid first half. Olympic Heights has a tough schedule to close the season, but coach Matt Ryder has the Lions heading in the right direction. … St. John Paul II Academy is 7-2, with its losses coming to perennial powers Wellington and Coral Springs. Keep an eye on the Eagles come district tournament time.
