- July 26, 2024
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Mainland boys basketball coach Joe Giddens cheers with the crowd after cutting down the net following the Bucs' win in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. They head to the final four in Lakeland on March 6. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Narayan Thomas (3) makes a basket in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland boys basketball coach Joe Giddens smiles after winning the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. The Bucs head to the final four in Lakeland on March 6. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Nathan Kirk (1) goes to the other side of the hoop to avoid defender Tarek Caesor (22) in the Region 1-5A final. Photo by Michele Meyers
DeAndre Newland goes up for a shot as against a Rickards defender in the Region 1-5A final. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Narayan Thomas (3) dunks the ball in the first quarter of the Region 1-5A final against Rickards as Tarek Caesor (22) attempts to stop him. Benjamin Plummer (5), Calvin Thomas (4), Travis Morris (1) and DeAndre Newland stand by. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland boys basketball coach Joe Giddens cuts the net after winning the Region 1-5A final against the Rickards. They head to the final four in Lakeland on March 6. Photo by Michele Meyers
Kade Manley goes up for a 3-pointer in the game against Rickards. He made three shots from beyond the arc for Mainland in its 42-36 Region 1-5A final win. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland students goof around on the sidelines at the regional final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland cheerleading coach Jenece Giddens leads her team in a dance to the song 'Flex' by Cupid during halftime at the boys basketball regional final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneers support their teammates from the bench during the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. The Bucs were up 25-21 with 5:34 left in the third quarter. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland freshman Kade Manley (11) passes to Bubba Westbrook (right) between Rickards' Benjamin Plummer (5) and Chadwick Ellenwood (3) in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Narayan Thomas dunks in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Rickards fouls Nathan Kirk (1) in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo By Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Elijah Clark (center) deflects Randall Pompey's (13) pass to Travis Morris (1) in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Rickards' Calvin Thomas (4) attempts to block a shot by Kade Manley (11) in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland Buccaneers line up before the playing of the 'Star-Spangled Banner' before the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Narayan Thomas shoots over the Rickards' players in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland players Narayan Thomas (3), Seven Simmons, Bubba Westbrook (10) and Nathan Kirk (1) try to steal the ball from Rickards' Travis Morris in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland cheerleaders jump after the Buccaneers make a free throw in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Randall Pompey (13) drives toward the basket as Narayan Thomas (3) points for a teammate to pick up coverage in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nathan Kirk (1) drives to the basket in the Region 1-5A final between Mainland and Rickards at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer DeAndre Newland goes up for a basket in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. Photo by Michele
Narayan Thomas (3) goes up to try to block Rickards' Romie Cosby's (2) shot in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland alumni and past state championship winners Chase Tramont and T.T. Toliver watch the Buccaneers play Rickards iin the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland sophomore Nathan Kirk glides toward the hoop in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland sophomore Bubba Westbrook grabs the rebound in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland freshman Kade Manley launches a shot in the lane in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
The Mainland Buccaneer cheerleaders support the boys basketball team during the Region 1-5A final against Rickards at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Nathan Kirk grabs the inbound pass as Rickards' Travis Morris guards him in the Region 1-5A final. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland guard Narayan Thomas (center) runs onto the court at the Vince Carter Athletic Center as the starters are announced for the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland Buccaneer cheerleader coach Jenece Giddens (front center) leads her team in support of her brother, coach Joe Giddens, and his basketball team during the Region 1-5A final against Rickards at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Photo by Michele Meyers
Point guard Bubba Westbrook (10) beats Chadwick Ellenwood (3) to the pass with 21.6 seconds left in the Region 1-5A final at the Vince Carter Athletic Center. Kade Manley (11) runs to assist. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer Bubba Westbrook executes a jump pass in the Region 1-5A final against Rickards. Photo by Michele Meyers
Buccaneer DeAndre Newland fights for the rebound as teammates Narayan Thomas (3) and Nathan Kirk (1) go into support mode in the Region 1-5A final. Photo by Michele Meyers
For the second year in a row, Mainland’s boys basketball team won its final home game and then took turns cutting down the net.
The net will be added to the Buccaneers’ trophy case. They hope to add another state championship trophy too. The Bucs held off Tallahassee Rickards 42-36 on Feb. 23 in the Region 1-5A final and are headed to the state final four for the second straight year.
“It feels great,” said sophomore point guard Nate Kirk, one of four returning players from last year’s squad. “It feels even better to be able to do it with a different group.”
Kirk led the Bucs (22-6) with 14 points including four key free throws in the fourth quarter. Mainland trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, but the Bucs’ relentless defense wore the Raiders (23-7) down, and the visitors were held without a field goal in the final quarter.
“We take pride in our defense. We don’t allow too many points,” said Narayan Thomas, who scored six points and pulled down 14 rebounds.
The Bucs will face Tampa Blake (25-5) in a Class 5A state semifinal at 5 p.m. March 6 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Miami Norland and Cape Coral Mariner will meet in the other semifinal at 1 p.m.
Mainland advanced to the state championship game last year, falling to Miami Belen Jesuit.
“To be able to come back and do it again, it just feels amazing,” Kirk said.
The Bucs trailed Rickards 19-18 at the half and made a lineup change, starting Seven Simmons in the third quarter. Simmons proceeded to hit a layup, and the Bucs led the rest of the way, although the Raiders were never out of the game.
“We got a chance to take the lead and go ahead,” Mainland coach Joe Giddens said. “And then I knew the crowd was going to be a big factor for us late in the game. So we just had to rebound. But they made some tough shots.”
A put-back by Benjamin Plummer pulled Rickards to within two (34-32) heading into the fourth quarter.
“It was very intense,” Kirk said. “They came out and hit us in the mouth in the beginning, but we came back. Our coaches kept telling us to keep it together.”
Giddens went to three final fours and won two championships as a player with the Bucs in the mid-1990s. Now he’s taking a new generation of Bucs to the final four for the second year in a row.
To go as a player three times, and then to go as a coach twice, it's priceless.”
— JOE GIDDENS, Mainland coach
“To go as a player three times, and then to go as a coach twice, it's priceless,” he said. “Going as a coach might be better than going as a player to be honest, because you know what it took to get there, and now I’m able to instill that in some other young men. It’s a priceless moment.”
At halftime, T.T. Toliver, one of Giddens’ former Mainland teammates, stopped in the locker room to give the players a few words of encouragement.
“They clapped and cheered,” Giddens said. “And I said, ‘That’s my teammate, so he knows what it takes.’”