MOORE HAVEN – The Moore Haven Terriers varsity basketball team punched their ticket to the district championship on Feb. 5 with a win over the Marathon Dolphins. 

The Terriers defeated the Dolphins 54-38 in the district semifinal. Moore Haven now is set to face the number two seeded Fort Meade Miners in the championship game on Feb. 7. Fort Meade is in the championship game following their 58-38 victory over the Pahokee Blue Devils on Feb. 5. 

The Terriers have a 12-7 record this season, sweeping both Glades Day and Pahokee in the regular season. Junior Clifford Love was a top scorer for Moore Haven this season. In a 61-49 win over Frostproof on Dec. 20, Love led the team with 19 points and five rebounds. Love also leads the team in rebounds and assists. 

To defeat the Miners and claim the district championship, the Terriers will have to limit Fort Meade junior Omari Russell. Russell has been the top scorer for the Miners this season. Russell also has 70 steals this year so far. Junior Mekhi Berrien isn’t far behind Russell. He's second on the team in scoring and leads the Miners in rebounds. 

The Moore Haven basketball program has been steadily building towards this district championship appearance for the last two years. In 2023 the Terriers were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. But last season, they took another step and advanced to the district semifinals before being knocked out by Legacy Charter in a close 48-40 loss.  Now, they’ll attempt to take another step forward and claim a district championship.