Tommie Butts was bothered by the way Wekiva’s girls basketball season ended in the state championship game last year in Lakeland.
“I took it personal. I felt like I had let the girls down,” Butts said. “We should have closed that game out, and I vowed to the girls that I’d never put them in that situation again.”
The Mustangs’ chance to repeat as state champions ended while being outscored 33-17 in the second half of a 51-46 loss versus Butts’ alma mater, Pompano Beach Blanche Ely.
Wekiva is now back in the state final four for the third consecutive season this week at Lakeland’s RP Funding Center. Juniors Madlyn Touze and Shaniyah McCarthy are the only remaining players on roster from the 2019 state title team.
Freshman point guard Jada Eads, who has excelled as both a passer and defender, averages a team-high 14.7 points, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game this season. Senior shooting guard Shadaria Smith is second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game.
“I didn’t care how young this year’s team was, I just wanted to get them back [to the state tournament] for a chance to finish the job,” Butts said. “We’ve got a great group of girls on this team, but I know it’s gonna be tough.”
The Mustangs (23-3) face a senior-ladened Winter Haven squad in an intriguing state semifinal Thursday at 6 p.m. The Blue Devils (18-1) rank No. 2 and Wekiva ranks No. 3 in Class 6A by MaxPreps computers behind Ely, which lost 46-44 last week to No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas (15-4).
Wekiva is one of four Orlando area teams taking part in the FHSAA girls basketball state tournament, which takes place Wednesday through Saturday. Defending Class 4A state champion Lake Highland Prep (17-0), making its fourth consecutive trip to the state semifinals, carries a 33-game win streak into its semifinal vs. Jacksonville Bishop Kenny (20-9) on Thursday at 10 a.m.
On Wednesday, Kissimmee City Of Life Christian (14-6) plays Miami Christian (15-7) in Class 2A at 12 noon and The Master’s Academy (17-7) of Oviedo faces Sarasota Cardinal Mooney (19-8) in 3A at 2 p.m. in other semifinal outings.
Admission for each game is $10 in advance and $13 on day of event through the RP Funding Center box office. Parking is an additional $10. State semifinal games will be streamed online through the NFHS Network subscription service. Spectrum Cable is streaming all championship games.
Lake Highland, which defeated Wekiva 73-55 in November, ranks No. 1 nationally in the MaxPreps Top 25 human poll and No. 3 via MaxPreps computers behind top-ranked Montverde Academy (21-2) and North Carolina’s Winston-Salem Christian (19-1).
LHP defeated Montverde 57-47 on Jan. 6, which has only fueled the Highlanders’ desire to find ways to stand out among their peers.
“The girls kind of feel they’ve been disrespected after starting out the year as the No. 1 team in the country,” LHP coach Al Honor said. “For some reason or another they’ve dropped in different rankings and been wondering how that could happen without even losing a game. It’s helped keep that edge to them.”
Competitive practices throughout the season, where post players Kayla Blackshear and Nyla Harris clash and point guards Stefanie Ingram and Sierra Godbolt squared off, have led to dominant showings as a collective on game days.
“You’re not going to find many matchups like that anywhere in the country,” said Honor. “A lot of times when they look at their opponents, it’s nothing like what they’ve already seen in practice.”
When Godbolt was lost to a knee injury nine games into the season, Ingram shouldered the load while averaging 9.5 points, 4.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game. Blackshear and Harris team up to make for an imposing presence entering the state tournament as two of the top scorers and rebounders on the team.
LHP has tallied more than 50 points and won by at least 10 points in 16 games this season. Only three opponents managing to break the 50-point plateau. New Hope Academy out of Landover Hills, Md., came closest to disrupting the Highlanders’ win streak during a 36-33 game in December.
The return to the state tournament for Master’s Academy comes one year after the Eagles shocked Miami Country Day in overtime in the semifinals. The trip ended though with the 3A title slipping through their grasp during an OT loss to Tampa Carrollwood Day.
The sophomore trio of Hannah Kohn, Kiara Harris and Shannen Victor have remained in sync for Master’s despite losing the team’s head coach and leading scorer from a year ago.
City of Life is back in Lakeland after stumbling in the regional final round each of the past two years. Senior Josie De Pool-Maisonet and junior Samantha Theus are the only remaining players from the Warriors’ team that won a state championship in 2018.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
Girls basketball schedule
Class 6A
Thursday
Wekiva vs. Winter Haven, 6
Punta Gorda Charlotte vs. Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, 8
Saturday
Final, 5:30
Class 4A
Thursday
Lake Highland Prep vs. Jacksonville Bishop Kenny, 10 a.m.
Fort Pierce Lincoln Park vs. Delray Beach American Heritage, 12
Saturday
Final, 12:30
Class 3A
Wednesday
The Master’s Academy vs. Sarasota Cardinal Mooney, 2
Miami Country Day vs. Tampa Brooks DeBartolo, 4
Friday
Final, 4:30
Class 2A
Wednesday
Naples First Baptist vs. Tallahassee FAMU, 10 a.m.
Kissimmee City of Life vs. Miami Christian, 12
Saturday
Final, 10 a.m.
