Chelsey Lee won't have to wait until she suits up for Rutgers next season to make her national television debut. The 6-3 center from Parkway Academy was one of 24 players selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Girls' Basketball game March 26 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The seventh annual showcase featuring the top seniors in the nation will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 7 p.m.

''Getting selected was big for me,'' Lee said. ``I found out when I saw the envelope at my school. I knew they were not sending it to any of our football players. I took it and saw my name on it. I knew right then.''

The McDonald's boys' game, which does not have a representative from Florida, will follow live on ESPN at 9:30 p.m.

Lee, who will play for the East team, and Winter Haven guard Tiffany Hayes, who will represent the West team, were the only Florida players selected for this prestigious event.

Lee is the first Parkway player selected and first from Broward County since Dillard guard Erica Brown made the team in 2005.

BASKETBALL

• Hollywood Christian vs. North Florida Christian: Hollywood Christian coach Harry Kennedy said even he was caught off guard by what his team was able to accomplish this season.

On Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Lakeland Center, the first-year coach and his team loaded with middle schoolers will play in the school's first state semifinal in 28 years.

''Nobody is more surprised than I am,'' Kennedy said. ``We're sitting here at the Lakeland Center, and I'm watching the eighth graders eyes get as big as saucers.''

Kennedy, who worked as an official last season, saw a few of the Eagles' games and thought there was something there. Through his contacts at the school, Kennedy was given the head coaching position.

''I knew they could play,'' Kennedy said. ``I saw they needed some coaching, and I figured I'd give it a shot.''

The Eagles finished 14-12 last season, and featured middle schoolers Ariah Osceola and Rebecca Lyttle in the starting lineup. Katie Kelton was the only returning senior starter. At the beginning of this season, Kennedy told the team it might take a while to mold them into contenders.

But the young players developed quickly, and the Eagles entered the postseason with just five losses.

''The competition down there this year wasn't that great so it helped us get our confidence up,'' Kennedy said. ``It also had a lot to do with people not expecting us to play the way we played. We snuck up on a lot of people.''

After making it through districts, Hollywood Christian had little trouble advancing through regionals, winning their three games by an average of 21 points.

-- FRANK E. DeMARZO

All South Broward has ever cared about is playing a tough schedule and collecting state championship rings.

Unranked and counted out of the state title picture a month ago, the resurgent Bulldogs girls' basketball team (15-10) is two wins away from adding No. 6 to its collection. South Broward will seek its eighth win in nine games when it takes on Apopka (20-9) in the FHSAA Class 6A state semifinals at the Lakeland Center Thursday.

''It means a lot to get to Lakeland,'' said Bulldogs senior guard Ruthie Martin. ``We proved everybody wrong. Everybody said that South Broward wasn't anything because we started off the season shaky. But then we came and showed them. Now we are going to fool everybody and win states.''

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