Rockledge will now face Atlantic in the District Semifinals on Thursday
WATCH: Zane Garcia speaks with Rockledge Raiders head basketball coach Colin Kearns after the Raiders’ big district quarterfinals victory.
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Eau Gallie and Rockledge met for the first time this season in the first round of the district tournament. Holding similar overall records, the matchup went down to the wire, but Rockledge had other ideas.
Eau Gallie and Rockledge, both with 12 wins on the season, came into district play with one thing on their minds: “survive and advance.”
Neither team is clearly in the conversation for the FHSAA state basketball tournament, district runner-up, or district champion, which is the only way to make the playoffs for either squad.
The Raiders have had a back-and-forth season with some nail-biting victories and some narrow defeats. Rockledge has been battle-tested all season, giving them a slight edge in their matchup with Eau Gallie, and it showed.
Rockledge and Eau Gallie opened the game with an exciting first quarter. Scoring went back and forth with relatively clean play, and few fouls were called throughout the first half. Through the first 10 minutes of the contest, the score was neck and neck, but at the halfway point of the second quarter, there was a shift.
With four minutes left till halftime and holding a three-point lead, 20-17. The Raiders’ defense-to-offense led them to an enormous 20-0 run that did not end until the middle of the third quarter.
The nearly eight-minute scoring drought by the Commodores, along with turnovers, ultimately flipped the game upside down and turned it into a blowout quickly.
For Rockledge, it was their trio of big men that did the most damage. Senior Michael Merritt, Junior Brady Kearns, and Freshman Nick Hall came up huge on the glass and dominated the paint area.
After a narrow first 12 minutes of the game, Rockledge would open up the lead and cruise to a 65-33 win over the Commodores and move into the district semifinals.
On Thursday, February 5, the Raiders will head to Atlantic High School with a chance to reach the district title game.
The winner of Palm Bay vs. Satellite will face the winner of Rockledge vs. Atlantic.
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