FLEMING ISLAND - Fleming Island reserves Alexander Brown and Ayden Greenidge combined for 24 points, sparking the Golden Eagles to the Region 1-5A championship with a 69-45 victory over visiting Lake City Columbia on Feb. 28.

The Golden Eagles advance to the state Final Four at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, where they will play fourth-ranked Tampa Jesuit (24-6) on March 11 at 1 p.m. in a semifinal. This marks the second time in Fleming Island’s 22-year history that the boys' program has reached the Final Four. Current head coach Traavis Chandler, now in his 10th year at Fleming Island, guided the Golden Eagles to the Final Four in 2019. That team lost in the semifinal.
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Final Four

On Wednesday, March 11, second seed Fleming Island (22-8 with an 18.1 strength of schedule (SOS) rating, lost in region semifinal last year) will play third seed Tampa Jesuit (24-8 with a 12.4 strength of schedule rating, lost in region quarters last year) at 1 p.m. at the University of North Florida. In the other state semifinal, top seed Pembroke Pines Charter (20-6, 22.6 SOS, lost in region final last year) will play fourth seed Lecanto (24-6, 8.3 SOS, lost in region final last year) at 9 a.m. The Class 5A final is set for Friday, March 13 at 8 p.m.
Jesuit averages 72.8 points per game with Fleming Island at 65.3. Fleming Island holds a 33.3 to 28.9 rebounds per game average with both teams delivering 10 assists per game. Jesuit was 20-8 last year

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On Saturday, Fleming Island and Columbia battled to a stalemate for the first five minutes, with the Tigers holding a 15-14 lead. Entering the game for the first time at the 2:49 mark of the first quarter, Brown turned the game in Fleming Island’s favor right away by converting a pair of free throws and swishing a three-point shot from the right baseline to give the Golden Eagles a 19-15 lead. Late in the second quarter, the 5-foot-10 senior drained a trey from the same spot, sending the hosts to the intermission with a 32-26 lead. Brown led both teams with eight first half points, led Fleming Island with 13 points for the game and was the only Golden Eagle who made a shot from beyond the arc, converting three of five. Chandler described his role as that of a spark plug coming off the bench.

“He gave us a big boost,” Chandler said, who noted that Brown had lost 14 pounds since arriving at Fleming Island so he could keep up with the Golden Eagles’ lightning pace. “We talked to him all week about how we needed someone to step up and put the ball in the basket. He showed up, he was ready, he took advantage of his minutes and he hit shots. To see him in that game and in that moment have that impact, I am just super proud for him.”

Greenidge scored all 11 of his points in the second half. The junior wing was the most active player on the court, filling up the stat sheet with eight rebounds and four assists. He made a contested lay-up at the buzzer to give Fleming Island a 51-36 lead at the end of the third quarter and added a put-back as the Golden Eagles scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to put the game away.

“Coming off the bench, you are saving the energy for the rest of the team, so that plays a big role,” Greenidge said after the game. “I am a menace on defense. I dive after a ball, block shots, grab rebounds and feed the offensive players.”

Brown and Greenidge kept the Golden Eagles on a championship trajectory on a quiet night for star forward Carson Crawford, who took only seven shots and was limited to seven points. Crawford had scored a school record 50 points in Fleming Island’s previous game, an 85-64 dismantling of Pensacola's Booker T. Washington on Feb. 21, but the Tigers made a concerted effort to deny him the ball.

The twin towers of the 6-foot-7 Crawford and 6-foot-10 freshman center Jalil Hill combined for a modest 15 points but made a huge impact on the boards and defending the rim. The Golden Eagles blocked 10 shots, including four by Crawford and three by Hill, often leading to fast break points. Chandler said that the Golden Eagles practice blocking shots without fouling in practice.

“We are just good at it. We tell our players to get the ball at the point of release,” Chandler explained. “That way you avoid that body contact. Being tall helps.”

Fleming Island outrebounded Columbia 39-29, including 22 offensive rebounds which led to 14 second chance points.