DAYTONA BEACH — Nathan Kirk fell to the ground, and Mainland’s postseason lives flashed before its eyes.

Sure, the Buccaneers probably still would have gone on to beat Pine Forest in the Region 1-5A quarterfinals Thursday without Kirk. They held a 36-22 lead late in the third quarter when the sophomore guard exploded to the basket before crumbling to the floor and grabbing his left knee.

They went on to win 58-41. Next Tuesday, they’ll host No. 4 Booker T. Washington at 7 p.m.

Maybe the Bucs (20-6) would’ve breezed through that game, too. And the next one. They possess plenty of talent aside from Kirk.

But to complete the redemptive run Mainland wants to make this season, it has to stay healthy, especially its big three of Kirk and seniors Narayan Thomas and DeAndre Newland. Playoff dreams are fragile.

“I was a little worried, but I know he’s a tough kid,” coach Joe Giddens said.

Kirk remained down for a minute. Giddens, Thomas and the training staff walked over to check on him. Giddens and Thomas picked him up and supported him to the bench.

But the injury wasn’t serious — just a stinger. He had bumped knees with his defender.

“It was just a quick shock,” said Kirk, the club's leading scorer at 17.3 points per game. “I knew it was going to go away, but in the moment, it was so much pain.”

Kirk subbed back in a few minutes later. He polished off a stat line of 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and six steals — all team highs.

Thomas and Newland added 15 points apiece, too.

Mainland’s attack looked more balanced, more potent against Pine Forest than it did last time out. The Bucs received another scare then. They required a late rally to avoid an upset by St. Augustine 43-39 in the District 4-5A finals last Friday.

“I think the St. Augustine game kind of woke us up a little bit,” Giddens said. “Sometimes, when you do well, you start to get (overconfident). The St. Augustine game made us refocus. Then, they came to practice and had a great week of practice.”

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Mainland showed why it’s the region’s top seed early against the eighth-seeded Eagles. It corralled the tipoff, and Kirk scored the contest’s first two points just 17 seconds in.

Kirk tallied the Bucs’ first 10 points before freshman Kade Manley splashed in a 3-pointer to boost their lead to 13-8 in the final minute of the first quarter. Thomas muscled into the lane for a layup with one second left in the period.

Then, Mainland’s defense clamped down further. It allowed just four points in the second quarter, extending the Bucs’ advantage to 26-14 at halftime.

They opened the third quarter with the first four baskets while keeping Pine Forest off the scoreboard until the 3:56 mark. Mainland’s lead sat at 34-16.

Less than three minutes later, Kirk went down. By the fourth quarter, which began with the Bucs ahead 36-25, he was OK.

During consecutive possessions late in the period, Kirk tossed an alley-oop pass to Newland, who slammed it home, and snuck into the paint for a layup.

Those buckets enlarged Mainland’s lead to a game-high 19 points (53-34) at the 1:50 mark. Giddens removed his starters.

“We knew what we were capable of and how we should be able to handle business,” Kirk said.

He and the rest of his teammates hope to handle business a few more times this winter.

“Those guys (Kirk, Thomas and Newland), their focus is a little different because they were the main ones crying when we lost (in the state finals) last year on March 4, 2023,” Giddens said. “I know those guys are important to what we want to do. They are getting everybody else prepared.”

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Riverside 33, Deltona 27

Also in Region 1-5A, sixth-seeded Deltona dropped a defensive battle to No. 3 Riverside on the road. Each team held the other to its lowest scoring output of the season.

The Wolves ended their season with a 16-9 record.

Marianna 73, Father Lopez 50

No. 6 Father Lopez dropped out of the Region 1-3A bracket with a road loss to Marianna. The third-seeded Bulldogs featured three scorers who finished in double figures.

Under coach Brad Ridenour, the Green Wave (19-7) racked up their highest win total since claiming 27 victories in 2012-2013.

Orlando Christian Prep 82, Halifax 42

No. 2 Orlando Christian Prep sprinted to at least 20 points in each of the first three quarters. It built a 25-12 lead in the first quarter and never looked back against seventh-seeded Halifax during the Region 2-2A quarterfinals on its home court.

The Knights (22-6) were held to 12 or less points per period. They closed their campaign with 22 wins for the second consecutive year and at least 20 for the third season in a row.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Boys basketball: Mainland moves on; Deltona, Lopez, Halifax lose