ORANGE PARK - Orange Park High baskeball point guards Jayde Brant and Mariah Young spearheaded a suffocating defensive effort as Orange Park pulled away from Fleming Island late for a 42-38 District 3-5A semifinal win at Ridgeview on February 6.

In the opposite semifinal, Ridgeview beat Middleburg to advance and create a second championship matchup between Ridgeview and Orange Park. Ridgeview defeated Orange Park at the Clay County Cup championship game two weeks ago.
Deploying a man-to-man full court press, the 5’4 Brant and the 5’5” swarmed Fleming Island guards Victoria Noble and Angel Pierce like gnats, forcing 17 turnovers in the first half.
“From baseline to baseline, they (Brant and Young are two of the quickest people in Northeast Florida and Southwest Georgia,” said Orange Park head coach Michael Nesmith. “With a lot of teams, if you take away their main ballhandler, they are dead.”
The pressure was never more effective than in the fourth quarter, during which the Raiders held Fleming Island without a field goal. The Golden Eagles mustered only three free throws while turning the ball over eight times in the final stanza.
The game was tied at 35 at the end of the third quarter when the Raiders turned up their intensity. Mallory scored inside, Brant, the shortest girl on the court, went one for two on consecutive trips to the free throw line after snagging offensive rebounds, and Ella Crowe converted a lay-up to give Orange Park a 41-36 lead with 2:30 remaining. Fleming Island mustered just a single point in the first 7:38 of the fourth quarter, and by the time Crawford made two free throws with less than 30 seconds remaining, it was too late.
“When we hit the end of the third quarter, I told my girls that these eight minutes are what we worked for,” Nesmith said. “This what we ran wind sprints for, what we shot thousands of shots for, this is the moment now. You have got to empty the tank right now.”
Fleming Island finished with 29 turnovers, almost one per minute of game time.
In district 3-1A, St. Johns Country Day School's girls basketball team won their district title with a 44-42 win over Florida School of Deaf and Blind behind 26 points from guard Sophia Mejia with forward Kendall Proffitt addiing 14.
Also, in district 3-1A, St. Johns' boys team beat Christ's Church Academy 55-50 to win that district title.
In district 3-5A, Orange Park High's boys team, fresh off an upset win over Oakleaf in regular season play prior to the district tournament, will travel to Fleming Island on Friday, February 7 for that district championship game. Fleming Island defeated Middleburg in their semifinal with Orange Park defeating Clay.
In district 2-6A, Oakleaf will travel to Fletcher on Friday, February 7 to take on the Senators for that district title.