By STEVE JACKSON
The Hillsborough County Western Conference boys basketball Tourney has the five squads from the South Shore playing at least two games each at various sites this week. On Friday, Feb. 3, the finals are scheduled at the higher seed for 8 p.m. with a third place game at 6:30 p.m.
In separate post-season play, the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) will release by Feb. 4 the teams and sites for the opening rounds and beyond of its district tournaments to open the playoffs for the 2A through 7A FHSAA State Championship which will be played March 1.
The Hillsborough County School District renewed the Western Conference Tourney last season after it was defunct for about 15 years. High school basketball coaches sought the tournament’s renewal in Hillsborough County, especially for the teams that do not qualify for the FHSAA playoffs, which starts next week.
The Western Conference Tournament, in effect, provides two extra games on the regular season schedule for high schools in Hillsborough County. The winner of the Friday finals is declared the 2023 Hillsborough County champ for the Federal Division of the Western Conference. Similar tourneys are held this week for the two other Hillsborough County boys basketball schools in the National Division and in the American Division.
South Shore games (with won-lost records in parenthesis) set for Jan. 31 include Spoto (10-11) versus Plant (12-10) at 8 p.m. at Plant High. At Sumner High, Leto (16-6) takes on Sumner (18-5) at 8 p.m. A pair of games are scheduled for South Shore teams at Chamberlain High. East Bay (0-15) plays Freedom (2-19) at 6:30 p.m. followed by Lennard (6-12) versus Chamberlain (6-17) at 8 p.m. The Riverview Sharks (6-14) are at home against Sickles (7-16) at 8 p.m.
Second round games, or the semifinals, include Jefferson High (2-20) versus East Bay on Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. Other semi-finals matchups are Feb. 2 at Hillsborough High with Lennard versus Gaither (4-18) at 6:30 p.m. and Spoto versus Hillsborough (12-11) at 8 p.m. Playing at the Tampa Bay Tech gym are King (16-7) versus Sumner at 6:30 p.m. and Riverview against Tampa Bay Tech (9-13) at 8 p.m.
Western Conference finals for the Federal Division championship are set for Friday, Feb. 3, at the highest seed at 8 p.m. and a third place game at 6:30 p.m.