Est. 2010

 

Super 16 basketball rankings: Master's, TFA, Leesburg, Ponciana lead the list, Sunday, January 31, 2016

Leesburg vs Tavares Basketball - Leesburg's Djuan Taylor-Hodge (5) dunks the ball at a varsity basketball game at Leesburg High School on Tuesday, Jan. 05, 2016 in Leesburg, Fla. The Yellow Jacket's beat the Tavares Bulldog's 58-43. (Amber Riccinto/ Daily Commercial)

By Sentinel Staff
Orlando Sentinel
Sunday, January 31, 2016
Updated: Monday, February 1, 2016, 6:05 a.m.

SentinelVarsity.com Sentinel Super 16 boys basketball rankings at the conclusion of the regular season:

1. Master's Academy (22-3): Closed out season on 11-game win streak. Only area loss in regular season was to Poinciana.

2. (3) First Academy (20-5): Royals were only area team invited to Montverde’s annual tournament, and impressed with a 2-1 performance. 

3. (8) Leesburg (20-4): Enters 5A District 13 tournament as top seed after winning coin toss tiebreaker with Poinciana.

4. (9) Poinciana (21-4): Lone area team to beat Master’s Academy, but loss to Leesburg keeps Eagles from rising higher.

5. (10) Lake Brantley (22-3): Patriots are playing to full potential now, haven’t lost since beginning of December.

6. (11) Lake Minneola (18-7): Just in case you didn’t know how scrappy this team was, Hawks pulled out a big win against former No. 1 Windermere Prep last week.

7. (2) Windermere Prep (20-5): Freefalling. After spending six weeks atop this list, Lakers have lost four of five games in past two weeks.

8. (4) Kissimmee Osceola (18-7): Broke three-game losing streak with win against a good Auburndale team in final regular-season game.

9. (NR) Port Orange Atlantic (23-2): Sharks had one of best records in area all year, but proved they were worthy to be ranked with wins against Spruce Creek and Deltona.

10. (7) Port Orange Spruce Creek (21-4): Loss to Atlantic knocked Hawks down a few spots, but they enter 8A-1 district tournament as No. 1 seed.

11. (6) Oak Ridge (17-6): Michael Devoe helped Pioneers rebound from two-point loss against Evans by scoring 29 in win over West Orange.

12. (15) Winter Park (16-9): Closed out season on 4-1 streak behind Wyatt Wilkes’ 17.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

13. (12) Trinity Prep (20-5): Finished season with loss to Crescent City, which has losses against Atlantic and Lake Mary.

14. (NR) Timber Creek (18-7): Closed regular season on seven-game win streak, including overtime victory vs. Dr. Phillips.

15. (5) Dr. Phillips (18-7): Quality wins keep Panthers in rankings, but they struggled to the finish line of regular season.

16. (NR) Mount Dora Christian (25-0): Schedule didn’t have a single Super 16 team on it, but 25-0 is 25-0.

Watch list: former No. 13 Evans (16-9), former No. 14 Hagerty (15-10), Orlando Christian Prep (14-11), Olympia (12-13), Boone (15-10).

Note: rankings include only FHSAA district member teams.

This article was provided by Gerald Lacey
Gerald Lacey is the senior sports writer covering Leesburg High School Sports for the Carver Heights Quarterback Club. You can reach him at: 
geraldlacey@leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

Leesburg hands Vero Beach first loss, Friday, December 18, 2015

 

Leesburg High School Boys Basketball Head Coach Sean Campbell

Leesburg hands Vero Beach first loss

By Staff Reports 
TC Palm
Friday, December 18, 2015
Updated: Sunday, December 18, 2015, 11:02 a.m.

DeLand - D'Juan Taylor-Hodge scored a game-high 27 points Friday as Leesburg High School's boys basketball team defeated Vero Beach 66-48 in a semifinal game of the Gus Gibbs Rotary Invitational at DeLand.

Kerwiken Morpas added 11 points for Leesburg (6-2), which scored 40 points in the second half to hand the Fighting Indians their first loss this season.

Simeon Fountain and Calvin Heflin scored nine points apiece.

Tyler Washington had 14 points and five rebounds for Vero Beach (8-1). Malik Clarke had 11 points and five assists.

Jacob Bell scored nine points.

Vero Beach made only two of 15 shots in the third quarter, when Leesburg used a 20-5 run to take control.

Vero Beach plays the loser of Friday's other semifinal between DeLand and North Miami Beach at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

This article was provided by Gerald Lacey
Gerald Lacey is the senior sports writer covering Leesburg High School Sports for the Carver Heights Quarterback Club. You can reach him at: geraldlacey@leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

 

Jackets Knock Off Class 8A Orlando Colonial 65-55, Dec. 2, 2014

(Leesburg Head Coach Sean Campbell (Photo courtesy of the Daily Commercial)

Leesburg Yellow Jackets vs Orlando Colonial Grenadiers, Boys High School
Basketball Game

 Jackets Knock Off Class 8A Orlando Colonial 65-55

 By Gerald Lacey
Senior Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
Tuesday, December 2, 2014


LEESBURG - The Fightin' Yellow Jackets of Leesburg High School hosted Class 8A Orlando Colonial at.........Read more here Jackets Knock Off Class 8A Orlando Colonial 65-55, Dec. 2, 2014

Eustis (Boys) 67, Leesburg 38, Page 1, February 13, 1985

Eustis (Boys) 67, Leesburg 38

By Sports Staff
Leesburg Commercial
February 13, 1985

 
EUSTIS - Four players scored in double figures, led by Robert C. Williams' 17 points, as Eustis upended Leesburg 67-38.

Williams also pulled down 17 rebounds, 9 on the offensive boards, as Eustis improved its record to 14-6 overall. Leesburg, after two wins in a row, fell to 4-20. Read More: Eustis (Boys) 67, Leesburg 38,

Marcel Thomas Resignation Stuns The Jacket Nation, Saturday, July 27, 2013

Former Boys Basketball Head Coach Marcel Thomas is leaving Leesburg to take over the boys basketball program at All Saints Academy of Winter Haven.

By Gerald Lacey
Staff Writer
Carver Heights Quarterback Club
July 27, 2013

LEESBURG -  Marcel Thomas is leaving Leesburg High School after leading Leesburg to two State Championship Game Appearances. Thomas is leaving to coach boys basketball for All Saints Academy of Winter Haven. All Saints Academy will be the fifth coaching job for Thomas during his career. Thomas was 67-46 in four seasons as head coach at Groveland South Lake (2005-09) and is 191-108 for his career, including two stints in Virginia. He will arguably go down as the greatest basketball coach in the history of Leesburg Basketball. 

Thomas told reporters that he was no longer happy at Leesburg and the direction that the program was headed. He also said there was lack of support by the school's administration as reasons for leaving.

Leesburg High School 2011 FHSAA Class 4A Boys Basketball State Champions

“I just wasn’t happy at Leesburg,” Thomas said on Thursday. “I love the kids there. But the administration didn’t really embrace the success that we’ve had as a program. It was time for me to pack up and go.”

Thomas led Leesburg to it's first state title in 34 years in 2011 and followed that performance with a return trip to the state championship game in 2012. He is only the second African-American Head boys basketball coach in the 94 year history of basketball at Leesburg. Legendary coach Hubert O. Dabney was the first African-American head basketball coach in the early 70's.

All Saints was 12-12 last season under the direction of veteran coach Aubrey Whitaker, formerly of Lake Highland Prep, Lake Wales and Frostproof.

“They’re definitely going in the right direction as far as athletics,” Thomas said.

Thomas record is outstanding at Leesburg leading them to 20 win seasons in each of his three seasons at the helm. His record at the school is 72-20 during his tenure. What is impressive about this record is that he accomplished this playing one of the nations toughest schedules. Thomas brought back the swagger to Leesburg Basketball and he certainly will be missed by the Jacket Nation.

Gerald Lacey is a senior sports writer covering Leesburg High School Sports for the Carver Heights Quarterback Club. You can reach him at geraldlacey@leesburgyellowjacketsfootball.com

Yellowjackets In Win Over Orlando In Half - Darkness, Sunday, January 27, 1929

Yellowjackets In Win Over Orlando In Half - Darkness

Locals Pile Up In First Half, Then Loaf In Second Stanza
 
Sports Staff
The Leesburg Morning Commercial
Sunday, January 27, 1929

Playing in the semi dusk of the badly-lighted and low-raftered gymnasium of the Orlando high last night, Leesburg Yellowjackets piled up a 13 to 3 lead during the first half and loafed during the last to win, 17 to 8, before the small crowd. One end of the court was said to be without lights.

The Yellowjackets met stubborn resistance from the Orlando team that had greatly increased its strength, several ineligible men getting back into good graces after the recent examinations. The game was marked by roughness throughout, the poor light making smooth teamwork almost out of the question. Jimmy Rountree Leesburg guard, was unable to make the trip to Orlando, detained here though business associations. Rountree has been developing rapidly into a top notch player and fitted in well when Adams was out of the lineup due to illness.