Eads scores 31, lifts Wekiva to title game

Wekiva freshman Jada Eads played well beyond her years Thursday night while helping the Mustangs make a return trip to the girls basketball state championship game for the third year in a row.

Eads scored a game-high 31 points as the Mustangs (24-3) pulled out a thrilling 68-60 win over Winter Haven (18-2) in what was an uptempo back-and-forth affair at Lakeland’s RP Funding Center.

“Jada has taken on a load this year, especially while only being a freshman,” Wekiva coach Tommie Butts said earlier this week. “She’s been asked to score the ball, to be a facilitator, and to play solid defense on opposing guards while playing a lot of minutes.”

Eads shot 10 of 20 from the field and drained 10 of 14 attempts from the foul line. She also finishing with six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Shaniyah McCarthy and Shadaria Smith each tallied 10 points while Madlyn Touze grabbed nine rebounds, added seven points and blocked two shots in the win.

The Mustangs play the winner of Fort Lauderdale St Thomas Aquinas (15-4) and Punta Gorda Charlotte (22-2) in the Class 6A final on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Wekiva won a state championship in 2019 and finished state runners-up in 2020.

“We have the luxury of being able to let our guards score or go inside to our bigs, and we’ve got some athletes in between,” Butts said. “The most important thing for us has been playing solid team defense without fouling and putting teams on the free throw line, and taking quality shots while finishing every possession on offense.”

Wekiva connected on 46% of its shot attempts (24-of-52) to prevail Thursday while turning the ball over 21 times and being outrebounded by a 51 to 40 margin.

Winter Haven scored 48 points in the paint but managed to connect on just 1 of 19 tries from 3-point range during a showdown that featured quick strikes and aggressive play on each end the floor by both teams.

Wekiva maintained a lead throughout much of the night, even as Winter Haven chipped away at that advantage late in the third and fourth quarters. The Blue Devils trailed 56-44 midway through the final period but got no closer than five points three times down the stretch.

The Mustangs led just 22-21 with five minutes to play in the second quarter after the teams traded buckets to open the period on seven straight scoring possessions.

Jayla Murray promptly knocked down a free throw to complete a 3-point play to give Winter Haven a brief lead, which ballooned to 28-24 two minutes later. Wekiva quickly answered as Smith nailed free throws and McCarthy tied the game on a bucket off a turnover with 1:46 to go in the half.

Eads scored five points in the final minute of the second quarter, including a 3-pointer after McCarthy pulled down a defensive rebound, to give Wekiva the lead for good at 33-28 at halftime.

Thursday Class 6A

Wekiva 68, Winter Haven, 60 Punta Gorda Charlotte vs. Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, late

Class 5A

Melbourne Palm Bay 67, St. Augustine 36 Plantation American Heritage 66, Clearwater 29

Class 4A

Lake Highland Prep 44, Jacksonville Bishop Kenny 32 Fort Pierce Lincoln Park 48, Delray Beach American Heritage 37

Friday Class 7A Semifinals

Orange Park Oakleaf vs. Tampa Plant, 12:30 Miami vs. West Palm Beach Lakes, 2:30

Class 3A Final

Sarasota Cardinal Mooney vs. Miami Country Day, 4:30

Class 1A Final

Ponce de Leon vs. Hawthorne, 7