The playoffs are here

SIDEBAR

On the girls' side

Four Sarasota-area teams remain alive in the girls basketball and are scheduled to play Thursday night. Riverview High (19-1) will play Steinbrenner High (20-8) at 7 p.m at home in the Class 7A regional quarterfinals, Cardinal Mooney High (16-8) will play Calvary Christian (16-4) at 7 p.m. home in the Class 3A quarterfinals, Booker High (16-8) will play Cocoa High (12-4) at 7 p.m. on the road in the Class 4A quarterfinals and Sarasota Christian (10-9) will play Evangelical Christian (22-4) at 6 p.m. on the road in the Class 2A quarterfinals. 

Check yourobserver.com  for scores and updates. 

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This week, the boys basketball district tournaments commence. Here's a look at where the local programs stand as they begin their postseason journey, with a trip to Lakeland and the Final Four being the end goal, as well as a farewell to the teams eliminated. 

Booker High

The Tornadoes (14-8) defeated Dunedin High (2-12) 81-46 on Tuesday to advance to the Class 4A District 10 semifinals. The Tornadoes will play Lakewood High (8-2) at 7 p.m. on Friday at Lakewood. Booker is ranked 15th in Class 4A by MaxPreps while Lakewood is 12th, and the schools' only common opponent is Southeast High, which Booker beat twice and Lakewood beat once. With a large disparity in games played, Booker is more of a known entity than Lakewood. The Tornadoes will play Coach Markus Black's physical style of basketball and get some timely long-range shooting from players such as Joey Winter. They have also played a tougher schedule, according to MaxPreps. Even though Lakewood is the top seed in the district, don't be surprised if Booker pulls the upset and advances to the district title game. 

Riverview High

The Rams (18-6), the top seed in Class 7A District 8, had a bye on Tuesday. They head straight to the district semifinals, where they will play (Tampa) Riverview High (4-10) at 7 p.m. Friday at home.  The Rams are 4-0 against the teams' common opponents, while the Sharks are 1-3. The Rams should advance to the district final, where they would either play Lakewood Ranch High (11-7) or Durant High (18-4). Riverview has not played Lakewood Ranch this season, but they played and defeated Durant 66-62 on Dec. 29. The Rams have won seven of their last nine. 

Sarasota Christian

The Blazers (13-10) are in the middle of a hot streak. After sitting at 6-10 on Jan. 29, Sarasota Christian has ripped off seven wins in a row, including a 62-51 win against Keswick Christian on Tuesday in the Class 2A District 7 quarterfinals. The Blazers will next play Bayshore Christian (8-7) in the semifinals on Feb. 10, and if they win, they will play either Canterbury High (12-10) or Lakeside Christian (9-13) in the final. Sarasota Christian has received contributions from up and down its roster during the streak. Against Keswick, center Brian Hershberger had 17 points, guard Adam Bassil had 16 points and guard Aaron Fayette had 14 points. Balanced scoring like that will be tough to beat; The Blazers streak may continue for a while. 

Sarasota High

The Sailors' season came to an end Tuesday night as they lost 66-55 to Braden River High in the Class 6A District 11 quarterfinals. It was a tough season for Sarasota, which finished 8-15. But the Sailors did have bright spots, like senior guard Ashton Orton, whose play has earned him a scholarship offer from NCAA Division 2 West Virginia Wesleyan. 

Cardinal Mooney High

The Cougars' season also ended Tuesday night, in a loss to The Out-of-Door Academy. Cardinal Mooney finished the year 7-13. but with just three seniors on the roster, the Cougars should be gearing up for a stronger season in 2021-2022.