LHP extends win streak to 34, returns to final
Lake Highland Prep is headed back to an FHSAA girls basketball championship game for the fourth consecutive season after shaking off Jacksonville Bishop Kenny in a rematch of last year’s state final Thursday morning.
LHP (18-0) extended its unbeaten streak to 34 games in a row while holding off the Crusaders (20-10) for a 44-32 win in a Class 4A semifinal at Lakeland’s RP Funding Center.
The Highlanders defeated Bishop Kenny 61-46 in 2020 but faced much more of a challenge this time around.
Sophomore guard Eleecia Carter connected on four 3-point shot attempts to lead Lake Highland with 16 points and four assists. Junior Nyla Harris, who added 13 points and six rebounds, sank three of four free throws to put the game on ice at 40-32 before she fouled out with three minutes to play.
Lake Highland coach Al Honor raved about Carter when talking to the Orlando Sentinel over the weekend.
“She’s starting to stretch her legs a little bit and become that next one up for us,” said Honor.
The Highlanders play Fort Pierce Lincoln Park (20-1) in the 4A final on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Lincoln Park, which won 48-37 in the other semifinal against Delray Beach American Heritage (13-5), ranks No. 2 behind LHP in the MaxPreps 4A computer rankings.
Admission to state final games is $10 in advance and $13 on day of event.
Parking is an additional $10. Spectrum Cable is streaming all championship contests.
Lake Highland, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation by MaxPreps, opened Thursday’s semifinal game with a 7-0 lead. That advantage was extended to 18-8 at the start the second quarter on backto-back three’s by Carter and Lexi Blue.
Bishop Kenny responded each time to get within three points inside the final minute of those periods but would get no closer the rest of the way. A jumper by Jasmyne Roberts cut the Highlanders’ lead to 22-19 before Carter’s deep shot from the left corner put LHP in front by six points at the break.
The Crusaders, which stayed within reach of LHP throughout much of the game, went dry from the field over the final six minutes. The last gasp for Bishop Kenny came on a 3-pointer by Sydney Roundtree to cut the deficit to 37-32 with 6:20 to play.
Lake Highland scored 28 points off 18 turnovers in the win.
The Highlanders, making their sixth appearance in a state final in seven years, won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 and finished state runners-up in 2018 and 2019.