Boozer twins, Riley Kugel shine as Columbus and Dr. Phillips advance to Florida 7A state championship game
LAKELAND, Fla.- The 2022 Class 7A Florida boys basketball state championship game should be an epic showdown.
Nationally ranked Dr. Phillips and Columbus - led by the Boozer twins - won their semifinals matchups Friday, setting up a much-anticipated championship game on Saturday.
Here's a recap of the 7A semifinals:
Dr. Phillips 66, Seminole (Sanford) 52
Dr. Phillips, ranked No. 11 in the SBLive/SI Power 25, pulled away in the second half after being tied with Seminole 28-28 at halftime. The Panthers began the second half on a 9-2 run to push their lead to seven and did not look back.
The Panthers outscored the Seminoles 21-9 in the third quarter to take a commanding 49-37 lead into the final eight minutes of play.
With the 66-52 win, the Panthers are in the state championship game for the second consecutive season and fourth time in school history.
The Panthers were led by Mississippi State commit Riley Kugel who finished with a game-high 27 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Florida commit Denzel Aberdeen finished with 12 points, while Kansas commit Ernest Udeh Jr. finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.
“These kids worked extremely hard all season long and deserve to be back in the championship game,” Dr. Phillips head coach Ben Witherspoon said after the win.
“We played an extremely challenging schedule to get us ready for this moment ... It took a lot of preparation.”
Seminole was led by Uchenna Kellman-Nicholes who finished with a team-high 18 points and three rebounds. Senior forward Kameron Moore finished with 11 points, on just 4-of-12 shooting from the field.
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Columbus 69, Lake Worth 54
The Columbus Explorers advanced to their first state championship game in school history with a 69-54 win over Lake Worth.
Lake Worth senior guard Marvin Golf and Columbus freshman forward Cameron Boozer put on a show early, trading baskets in the opening quarter.
The Explorers took a 19-12 lead after the first quarter and - thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from junior guard Calvin Sirmans - extended it to a 30-22 lead at halftime.
The Explorers were led by freshman guard Benny Fragela who finished with a team-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Boozer added 18 points and 16 rebounds, while his twin brother Cayden Boozer added 15 points.
The Trojans, who were making their first Final Four appearance in 23 years, were led by Sirmans who finished with 19 points and four rebounds. Golf added 10 points and nine rebounds.
Columbus will face Dr. Phillips in the 7A state championship game Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.
