Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School hosts Madison County for the Region 3-1A boys basketball championship tonight at 7 p.m.
The winner will advance to the state semifinals, which will be played at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2, at RP Funding Center in Lakeland. As of now, the Florida High School Athletic Association brackets show that the Bradford-Madison winner would play the 8 p.m. semifinal game.
Bradford and Madison are the number-one and number-two seeds, respectively, in Region 3. The Tornadoes (13-10) have won five straight and are coming off a 59-30 Region 3 semifinal win over fourth-seed Bell. Madison (16-11) has won three straight and is coming off a 76-39 semifinal win over third-seed Dixie County.
The teams played each other twice during the regular season, with the Cowboys winning 48-45 on Jan. 15 in Starke and the Tornadoes winning 47-44 on Feb. 4 in Madison.
Madison is looking to reach the Final Four for the fourth time in five years. The Cowboys won the state championship in 2019 and were the runners-up last year.
The Cowboys have an overall record of 4-3 in regional-championship games.
Bradford is attempting to win just its second-ever regional championship. The Tornadoes won a title in 1974 and went on to lose in the state semifinals.
The Tornadoes have played for a regional championship six other times: 1966, 1967, 1973, 2000, 2001 and 2011.
Tonight’s winner will play either Hawthorne or Trenton — the number-one and number-two seeds, respectively, in Region 4 — in the state semifinals.
The other state semifinal game will consist of either Paxton or Jay — the number-one and number-three seeds, respectively in Region 1 — taking on either Malone or Franklin County — the number-one and number-two seeds, respectively, in Region 2.
The state championship game will be played at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 4, at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
