Late-season upstart Grandview Prep falls
After catching fire late in the season, Grandview Prep’s hot streak finally cooled down in Lakeland.
The Pride — who reached the state tournament despite a13-12 regularseason record — fell to Academy at the Lakes 65-55 in the Class 2A girls basketball state semifinals.
Grandview hung with the Wildcats throughout the contest, but ran out of gas late. After the Pride tied the game at 55 with 2:45 remaining, Academy of the Lakes ended the game on a 10-0 run to punch its ticket to the state championship game. The Eagles will face Tallahassee FAMU on Wednesday night.
“We were trying to make things happen,” said Grandview Prep coach Ian Clark of the final three minutes. “Instead of playing our game, we were trying to hurry up possessions and we turned the ball over.”
Tuesday’s loss denied Grandview Prep its third consecutive appearance in the state championship. The Pride took home its first state title in school history in 2014.
In the first quarter, Academy of the Lakes raced out to an 18-13 lead, despite Grandview Prep’s Kristin Rampersad scoring 11 of her 23 points in the frame. The following quarter belonged to Imani Thomas, who took control in the paint. The Pride had no answer for the Wildcat forward, who finished the game with 23 points and15 rebounds.
After trailing by 12 points in the third quarter, Grandview Prep clawed its way back, cutting the deficit to five entering the final frame. The Pride tied the game late, but were unable to overcome theWildcats’ late run.
“I thought they gave me everything they could give me and they left it on the court,” said Clark. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”
While Grandview Prep has to replaceRampersad— who averaged over 28 points per game this season — the Pride return everyone else on the roster. Rampersad’s younger sister, Megan, scored 12 points in the loss. The Pride also feature four sophomores and two eighth graders on the team.
“There’s a lot for them to learn. I think the future’s bright and I hopewe keep it going.”