A pair of possibilities

After playing from behind for three quarters, the Riverview High boys basketball team (22-6) finally generated a lead against Alonso High (23-6). 

The Rams got a boost thanks to stingy defense and an electric few minutes from senior Jayven Millien, who made two 3-pointers and generally caused havoc within the Alonso defensive scheme. Riverview took a 13-point lead late into the fourth quarter, where it dwindled down to three — giving Coach Rudy Fraraccio a few nervous moments — before Riverview extended it again. The Rams won 78-71, and in doing so advanced to the Class 7A regional final (Elite Eight). They will play Oak Ridge Academy at 7 p.m. Friday at home. 

Millien finished with 17 points, a team high. Sophomore Jason Jackson finished with 16 points, and seniors John Blanding, David Mazon III and Jakobi Davis all added double-digit points as well. Scoring was a well-rounded effort, something Fraraccio sees as a positive. 

"We think we have eight or nine guys who could start," Fraraccio said. "Sometimes when our bench players come in, they give us a boost. They become a catalyst for our offense and, especially, our defense."

It was that defensive effort that helped the Rams climb back into the game. Riverview was down 18-13 after the first quarter, but a switch from the team's typical half-court trap to a full-court press seemed to throw off Alonso. The Ravens started making mistakes and the Rams took advantage. It was a slow ascent, but an ascent all the same. Once the fourth quarter arrived, the Rams had the momentum. 

But things will only get tougher from here. The Rams now face Oak Ridge (21-2), the team that eliminated them in the regional final a season ago, 75-47. Oak Ridge has two players committed to NCAA Division I schools in senior forward Michael James (Louisville) and senior guard Jalen Smith (Southern Methodist), and junior guard Fabio Basili has offers from Southern Methodist and Texas Christian.  

In the girls division, Cardinal Mooney High is headed to the Final Four after defeating the Community School of Naples 43-24 on Feb. 19. The Cougars (19-8) will play The Master's Academy (17-7) on Wednesday for a spot in the state championship game, which would be at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. This will be the Cougars' second trip to the Final Four in program history. The first trip was in the 1996-1997 season, when the Cougars lost to eventual state champion Keystone Heights High, 66-41. 

Coaching that 1996-1997 team was Bob Smithers, and playing on it as a junior was Kristen Smithers. Now, Bob Smithers' granddaughter and Kristen Smithers' niece, Madison Smithers, is a junior on the current Cougars team, trying to finish what her family started 24 years ago. 

If Smithers and the Cougars get past The Master's Academy, they will face either Miami Country Day (21-3) or Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High (17-5) in the championship game.