Central Florida Christian Academy, Dr. Phillips High girls basketball both win regional championships

In FHSAA Class 2A CFCA tops North Tampa Christian to advance to state championship tournament final four, while DP beats Oak Ridge in 7A.

By Sam Albuquerque
| 7:28 a.m. February 23, 2024

Sports
High Schools

Dr. Phillips High and Central Florida Christian Academy's girls basketball won their respective classification's regional championship last night.

In Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A, No. 1 CFCA (23-4) hosted No. 2 North Tampa Christian Academy (22-3) on Thursday, Feb. 22.

After falling behind early, the Eagles rallied in the third quarter to take the lead and shut the Titans down on defense in the fourth, only allowing two points. CFCA beat North Tampa Christian, 47-29.

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With this win, the Eagles are now set to play Miami Christian in the FHSAA state semifinal on Feb. 27 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.

If CFCA can punch its ticket to the final, that game will be on Feb. 29 against either Evangelical Christian (24-3) or University Christian (19-6).

In Class 7A, the defending back-to-back state champions No. 1 Dr. Phillips (25-4) are one step closer to completing a three-peat after hosting district rival No. 3 Oak Ridge High (14-13) at the Larry Payne Gymnasium.

After beating the Pioneers easily in the district tournament, 96-63, the Panthers had a tougher test against Oak Ridge the second time around, winning 58-51.

DP's chase for title three will see it matchup against Winter Haven High (23-5) in the state semifinals on March 8 at the RP Funding Center — with no set date for the 7A finals listed on the FHSAA website.

If the Panthers advance to the finals, they will either face Doral Academy (23-7) or fellow Orlando power, Colonial High (26-3).

One more area team was in action in the girls hoops regional playoffs, No. 3 Horizon High (19-7) hosted No. 5 Wekiva (19-10) in the 6A bracket. The Lady Hawks fell to their district rivals, 57-29.

Sam Albuquerque is the Sports Editor for the Orange Observer. Please contact him with story ideas, results and statistics.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @SamBAlbuquerque

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Sam Albuquerque

A native of João Pessoa, Brazil, Sam Albuquerque moved in 1997 to Central Florida as a kid. After earning a communications degree in 2016 from the University of Central Florida, he started his career covering sports as a producer for a local radio station, ESPN 580 Orlando. He went on to earn a master’s degree in editorial journalism from Northwestern University, before moving to South Carolina to cover local sports for the USA Today Network’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal. When he’s not working, you can find him spending time with his lovely wife, Sarah, newborn son, Noah, and dog named Skulí.