For Impact Christian basketball coach Ben Jones, watching the Lions’ backcourt combination in action never gets old.
He’s been coaching one, Ronald Clark III, since middle school. And he’s been with the other, Jeremiah Jones, far longer than that. After all, the senior guard is the head coach’s son.
“They know each other so well, playing together for a very long time,” Ben Jones said. “And they both have the same mentality. They just want to win.”
Those guards are among the driving forces in Impact Christian’s return to the Florida High School Athletic Association boys basketball final four, this time chasing a championship near home at UNF Arena.
Watch FHSAA state basketball final four on NFHS Network
The Lions meet Lakeland Victory Christian in the Class 1A semifinals at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5, this time aiming to clear a hurdle that has tripped them up repeatedly in recent years.
With Clark (12.9 points, 3.0 assists) and Jeremiah Jones (12.1 points, 2.5 assists) setting the pace, this year’s Lions have earned a No. 16 state ranking, second in the class only behind reigning champion Weston Sagemont.
The biggest difference this year, Ben Jones said, is the emergence of the 6-9 Mechack Olungu (10.4 points, 9.1 rebounds) and the 6-6 Frandy Perez (12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds) into genuine scoring threats in the frontcourt. The Lions can now maul opponents with a quartet of double-digit scorers.
“It’s almost like watching babies grow up,” Ben Jones said. “Mechack and Frandy made a huge jump from last year to this year and turned themselves into really high-level players.”
Impact qualified for the final four in 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, but missed the state trophy each time. Since Class 1A is the earliest of the state finals, if the Lions succeed at UNF, they would become the first-ever Jacksonville boys hoops squad to win a basketball title in their hometown.
The motivation has built for a full year.
“The experience of being there [the 2025 final] and seeing what was possible, being as close as we were to winning the whole thing, it fueled their hunger and drive to work hard in the off-season and get back,” Ben Jones said.
CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
Who: Impact Christian (27-4) vs. Lakeland Victory Christian (24-6).
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5.
Where: UNF Arena.
How to watch: NFHS Network.
The skinny: Impact Christian’s final four opponent can score… and score… and score. Victory Christian averages more than 70 points per game and has scored 88 or more four times in the past month, including two 100-point routs. Christian Fuller (14.6 points, 3.7 assists), a transfer from Tampa Prep, runs the offense from the point, with Tucker Fox (12.8 points) and MJ McCalla (13.1 points) also steady scorers. They also have serious size inside with 6-11 Arik Arik and 6-8 Thok Gol. The winner plays for the championship at 5 p.m. March 7 at UNF against Weston Sagemont or Central Florida Christian.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Impact Christian basketball eyes first state title in Jacksonville
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
