January will be a busy month as Mainstreet Daily News provides ‘live’ and ‘archived’ audio coverage of 10 high school basketball games involving Alachua County schools.
Some are city showdowns, one features a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, as well as some key Alachua County matchups.
All games will be broadcast online at Mainstreet Daily News.
Saturday, Jan. 4 – Hawthorne vs. Mainland (Daytona Beach), 4:30 p.m.
With no C.J. Ingram this year, it has been a collective effort so far for the Hornets (3-0), who have five players averaging 8.3 points per game or better. Senior Decarion Debose (15 ppg) leads Hawthorne, which won a pair of games last week at the Florida Get Down Holiday Showcase at Santa Fe College. The Class 6A Bucs (7-5) were 5A state semifinalists last season. The game is a part of the Eastside Shootout at the newly named Hernan “Pop” Williams Gymnasium.
Saturday, Jan. 4 – GHS vs. Lakewood (St. Pete), 6 p.m.
The Hurricanes (10-5) have won three in a row, including their last two at the Furney Tournament in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and a 55-48 win at home on Thursday against Fort White. GHS, which was led by senior Cornelius White with 15, is ranked 8th in the state in Class 5A in the first FHSAA rankings of the season.
“Corn is an offensive force, both inside and outside,” said GHS coach Mike Barnes. “He can finish down low and step out and shoot the three. He has worked extremely hard since the end of last season. His footwork has improved, he is quicker than he is bigger, and stronger and faster than he was at this time last year. We expect him to raise his game to another level this year as a senior.”
Class 3A Lakewood (7-4) defeated GHS, 79-60, in their last meeting at the Dante Anderson Memorial Invitational in 2014. The game is a part of the Eastside Shootout at the newly named Hernan “Pop” Williams Gymnasium.
Tuesday, Jan. 7 – GHS at Hawthorne, 7:30 p.m.
In a rare meeting between two of the top Alachua County basketball teams last year, the Hurricanes defeated the Hornets, 66-61, at home. Ingram, who had 26, is now at Montverde Academy, but Leland Johnson (18 points) is back. He joins Debose, a returning starter, and some key newcomers in Kelvin Baker of Eastside (13.3 ppg), 6’6 Lake Worth transfer Chasion Wilson (10.3 ppg), and Davion Pugh of Eastside (9.7) to make Hawthorne a legitimate threat in the Rural classification.
“This will be one of the most athletic teams I’ve had in a few years,” said Greg Bowie, who is in 18th season as head coach of the Hornets. “We will have to defend at an elite level for this season to be successful.”
Friday, Jan. 10 – Williston at Newberry, 7:30 p.m.
Heading into 2025, Newberry is 10-0 and ranked No. 5 in Class 3A in the first FHSAA rankings. Williston, which is ranked No. 1 in the Rural classification, has won back-to-back state titles, but the Red Devils did lose seven seniors from last year’s team. The host Panthers have lost 31 of the last 40 games against the Red Devils (9-5), who finished fourth at this year’s Kingdom of the Sun tournament at Vanguard (Ocala).
Tuesday, Jan. 14 – Columbia (Lake City) at Buchholz, 7:30 p.m.
Last year the Buchholz boys basketball team won a playoff game for the first time in 15 years and won 18 games under first-year head coach Elliot Harris.
“We made the playoffs and got to the second round, so we were pretty happy (with last season),” Harris said. “We lost six seniors and will have some guys who played on junior varsity, but they were able to watch the guys last season and will be counted on this year.”
The Bobcats (6-6) lost at Columbia, 54-49, on Dec. 10. After a slow start, the Tigers (9-6) have won four in a row.
Friday, Jan. 17 – Hawthorne at Williston, 7:30 p.m.
This is a matchup of the top two teams in the Rural classification. Williston is ranked No. 1 while Hawthorne is ranked No. 2. I’m not sure the game needs more buildup than that. Williston defeated Hawthorne in their last meeting, 61-49, at the Kingdom of the Sun at Vanguard in Ocala (Dec. 27, 2023), in a series that has been dominated as of late by Hawthorne. The Hornets have won 15 of the last 17 meetings during the last 10 years.
Tuesday, Jan. 21 – GHS at Hawthorne (GIRLS), 7:30 p.m.
This is a rematch of last year’s game at The Purple Palace. Hawthorne edged GHS, 33-32, on their way to a second straight state title. The inside-outside game of Jhalea Jackson and De’Mya Adams are back for the Lady Hornets. GHS already owns wins against Georgia’s Luella (10-2), Creekside (St. Johns) (9-3), Newberry (8-4), and Trenton (9-4).
Friday, Jan. 24 – Buchholz at GHS, 7:30 p.m.
Another rematch as Buchholz looks to atone for last month’s embarrassing 78-51 loss at home to the Hurricanes, who held the host Bobcats to just 12 first-half points. GHS continued its dominance in the series. The ‘Canes are now 33-7 since 2007 and 50-14 since 1997. They are 16-3 at home against the Bobcats since 2007. But anything can happen in a rivalry, as Buchholz had a rare win at The Purple Palace last season, outscoring GHS, 18-6, in the fourth quarter and rallying for a 50-41 win.
Tuesday, Jan. 28 – GHS at Newberry, 7:30 p.m.
An Alachua County showdown between two of the top teams in the county. Newberry looks to snap a 3-game losing streak in the series, but last year’s game was close. The Hurricanes edged the Panthers, 54-51, at The Purple Palace on Jan. 30.
Thursday, Jan. 30 – Williston at Buchholz, 7:30 p.m.
The Red Devils dominated the Bobcats last year, 64-34, at home. However, this year’s game will be in Gainesville.