South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
American Heritage, St. Thomas Aquinas reach finals with routs
American Heritage will be bidding for a Broward County-record sixth consecutive state girls basketball championship, which would tie the state record, following a 71-33 victory over Clearwater in the Class 5A state semifinal Thursday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
St. Thomas Aquinas (23-8) will be looking for its third straight state championship when it takes on Charlotte. The Raiders are currently riding an 11-game winning streak following a 77-35 demolition of Lake Gibson.
Two other local South Florida teams, King’s Academy, and Cardinal Gibbons, came up short, falling in the semifinals. King’s Academy dropped a 52-39 decision to Cardinal Mooney in the Class 3A semifinal, while the Chiefs lost 69-47 to Bishop Kenny in the Class 4A semis.
American Heritage (23-7) set the Broward County record last year with five consecutive state titles from 2018-22. The Patriots’ victory last year surpassed the four straight titles won by Dillard from 2010-2013.
After graduating All-American and Florida State signee Ta’Niya Latson, the Patriots appeared to be on the verge of a rebuild.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet about trying to accomplish this goal [a sixth straight championship], but it would make one of the greatest accomplishments in my coaching career, and it would be amazing for the girls and our program,” American Heritage coach Greg Farias said by phone.
He said his team turned a close game into a rout in the second quarter.
“We didn’t expect to blow them out,” Farias said. “They were a physical team and played hard. I called a timeout in the second quarter and said we aren’t playing Heritage basketball, no more press.
“We will play man-to-man 94 feet, and if you can’t, someone else will. They responded immediately and picked up the intensity, 94 feet, and started turning them over. We started getting layups on fast breaks, and that’s our strength.
“Defense turns out to be offense for us.”
American Heritage (23-7) had five players in double figures as it blew open a tight game by outscoring the Tornadoes, 21-2 in the second quarter and never looked back in the 71-33 win over Clearwater (18-11), which saw its modest six-game win streak come to a screeching halt.
Patriots junior Arielle Facyson and senior Sydni Studesville each scored 12 points, while freshmen Teriyah McFadden and Jas Green each had 11. Sophomore Dez McGill had 10 points. McFadden added a game-high 13 rebounds.
Senior Tatiyana Sturdivant paced Clearwater with 11 points.
The Patriots had three starters in early foul trouble, but Farias credited the players coming off the bench for keeping up the defensive intensity.
“Teriyah McFadden and Arielle Facyson added an immediate spark off the bench to help us on that 21-2 run,” he said. “After that, the team settled down and all the girls started getting their rhythm and didn’t look back.”
The five straight championships by the Patriots are the longest active streak in the state, and American Heritage is the third girls’ basketball team to have won at least five in a row, joining Jacksonville Ribault (1999-2003) and record holder Miami Country Day, which did it six times from 2014-19.
A win Saturday against Mainland Daytona Beach Mainland (20-8) would be its sixth.
Aquinas crushes Lake Gibson behind McFadden’s monster game: St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Nyla McFadden scored a game-high 27 points and hauled down 11 rebounds in the Raiders’ 42-point Class 6A state semifinal win.
“We are excited about the opportunity to play for another state championship,” said St. Thomas Aquinas coach Oliver Berens. “All postseason I have been telling our young ladies to take advantage of the moment and not take anything for granted.
“I thought we played with good energy the entire game. Credit to Lake Gibson. They competed and did a solid job versus our press in the second quarter.
“But ultimately we played very good basketball on both ends in the second half and it was a great team win. I’m proud of our girls and now it’s time to finish and get that state championship.”
St. Thomas Aquinas, which held a 42-27 advantage on the boards, faced Charlotte for the 6A Championship.
“It feels great to make it back to the finals,” said East Carolina-bound Karina Gordon, who along with junior Kamryn Corporan finished with 16 points for the Raiders.
“It being my last high school game, it would mean a lot to go out with the three-peat,” Gordon said.
Freshman Jamila Ray paced Lake Gibson with 19 points.
Cardinal Gibbons can’t overcome slow start in 4A semis: Bishop Kenny blitzed Cardinal Gibbons 31-10 in the first half and coasted to a 69-47 Class 4A state semifinal victory at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on Thursday.
The Chiefs, who lost in the regional finals last season and in the state semifinals in 2000, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020, were hoping to get back to the title game. They reached the state finals in 1996 and 1999 and are still chasing their first state championship.
Senior Konstantina Mantziori scored a team-high 17 points for the Chiefs (22-6), while senior Taylor Williams added 14.
Cardinal Gibbons coach Kevin Gordon said Bishop Kenny removed some of the Chiefs’ offense. He cited his team’s work ethic as the genesis of going from the regional semifinals last season to the state semifinals.
“It was a very slow start,” Gordon said. “They are a team that’s very disciplined and makes multiple passes to get into what they want. I thought our initial defense was OK, but we couldn’t get anything to go on the offensive end.
“They had a lot to do with that, but we were very hesitant and their 3-pointers from deep in the first half pushed that lead to 21 at the half.
The Crusaders (30-1) won their 27th straight game after a 40-35 loss to Westminster Academy on Nov. 28.
“Basketball has been my life and making it to states was more than I can ask for,” said senior forward Brooke Buckman, who finished with five points and eight rebounds.
“Yeah, it wasn’t how we planned on it going, but I am so proud of this team and how much we fought this year and worked. … Ending my high school basketball career in Lakeland was a spectacular way to go out.”
King’s Academy falls in state semifinals to Cardinal Mooney: It was déjà vu for the King’s Academy girls’ basketball team as it saw its season end in the Class 3A state for a second consecutive year with a loss to Cardinal Mooney.
King’s Academy (23-5) was outscored 12-2 in the decisive third quarter by the Cougars (21-5) after trailing 28-26 at halftime.
Senior Janessa Williams scored seven points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Senior Jordan Race had a team-high nine points, while sophomore Jade Jones added eight for the Lions.
“I thought our girls were well prepared,” said King’s Academy coach Chris Race. “We had good practices going into the game and we had a good idea of what Cardinal Mooney was going to do.
“The third quarter cost us the game. We started out with a couple of turnovers that led to easy baskets for Mooney. We kind of went away from what we were trying to do on offense and forced up a few bad shots.
“Mooney capitalized on our mistakes and outscored us 12-2. In the fourth quarter we just couldn’t make a run. We traded baskets with them until the final buzzer.”
Sophomore Bri Behn led Cardinal Mooney with 17 points.
The Cougars have been to the final four three times in a row and the championship game two consecutive times.
“Although we are disappointed in the outcome, this group of kids are the most decorated team in Palm Beach County in recent memory with three straight district titles, back-to-back region titles and backto-back final four appearances,” Race said. “We are still a very young team.
“We are losing three seniors — Williams, Jordan Race and Naomi Cadet. We have no juniors, three sophomores, two freshmen and an eighth grader coming back.”