Strawberry Crest boys basketball coach Andre Lewis says playing the remainder of the season without two of his top players will be a challenge, but he is confident he has the type of reserves who can “step up” as the Chargers enter this week’s district tournament.

Lewis confirmed starting guards Devin Diggs and Karel Hamilton were issued six-week suspensions by the Florida High School Athletics Association for their role in a Jan. 27 scuffle that occurred in the second half of the Chargers’ game against visiting Freedom. That effectively ends the season for Diggs, who was their second-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, and Hamilton, their No. 3 scorer at 8.5 ppg.

The suspension also means Diggs will miss the start of the track season. He was a state finalist last year in Class 2A for the 200- and 400-meter dashes.

“A team isn’t just one or two guys and I think we have the players who can step up for us,” said Lewis. “But there’s no doubt we’re going to miss those two guys. Those two are as athletic as they come and probably our two best players defensively.”

Two other players from the Crest received two-game bans as a result of the incident, but they have already served that ban, Lewis said.

Players from Freedom were also hit with suspensions from the FHSAA. According to Lewis, the Patriots’ 6-foot-7 junior center, Brandon Patchan, little brother of University of Florida offensive lineman Matt Patchan, was the Freedom player involved in the scuffle with Diggs in the Jan. 27 game.

Patchan, Freedom’s leading scorer at 10.7 ppg and also its top rebounder (6.3 rbg), also received a season-ending suspension from the FHSAA while three other Patriots players received two-game bans.

Lewis said Diggs and Patchan were going up for a rebound and came down with the ball together. As both tried to gain possession, the ball went out of bounds. Lewis said the two players soon “lost their cool” and that’s when things got physical, including some punches thrown but not landed.

“Coaches are always stressing it but it’s a hard lesson to learn—kids need to learn to keep their cool,” Lewis said.

Strawberry Crest begins play in the Class 6A-District 11 tournament Wednesday. The Chargers are the No. 2 seed while host Sickles is No. 1. Freedom will compete in the 7A-9 tournament, which starts Tuesday at Chamberlain.