FHSAA 5A girls basketball semifinals: American Heritage Plantation and Bishop Moore advance to state championship game
LAKELAND, Fla. - The 2022 Florida high school girls basketball state tournament continued Thursday with the Class 5A semifinals at RP Funding Center.
Here's a recap:
Class 5A semifinal No. 1: American Heritage Plantation 77, Pine Forest 49
American Heritage Plantation looked every bit the part of a 4-time defending state champion with a 77-49 victory over Pine Forest on Thursday in the 5A semifinals.
The turning point of the game was a stretch in the second quarter where the Lady Patriots went on a 20-0 run that spanned five and a half minutes of game time.
The Patriots had three players in double figures, led by Florida State commit Ta’Niya Latson who racked up a game-high 33 points and 8 rebounds. Joey Delancy finished with 11 points and Emani Theodule added 10 points.
The Lady Eagles were led by Tahnyjia Purifoy who finished with a team-high 26 points, including 15 in the second half. Senior forward Niylia Wilkins added 21 points.
The Lady Patriots will seek their fifth consecutive state championship on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET. A victory would tie Jacksonville Ribault (1999-2003) for the second most consecutive state titles in FHSAA history.
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Class 5A semifinal No. 2: Bishop Moore 51, Charlotte (Punta Gorda) 46
The game of the day was the second Class 5A semifinal between Bishop Moore and Charlotte.
After trailing by as many as 13 points, the Lady Tarpons took their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter on a corner 3-pointer by senior guard Aryana Hicks. Seconds later the Lady Hornets answered with a 3-pointer of their own by Lynnelle Mosqueda to re-take the lead.
The Lady Hornets held on from there and are back in the state championship game for the first time in six years.
The Lady Hornets were led by junior forward Brooke Allen who finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Allen came into the game averaging just under six points per game. “I was having a good day today and I'm glad my teammates found me in the open spots,” Allen said.
Mosqueda added 10 points for the Lady Hornets.
The Lady Tarpons were led by junior guard D’Yanis Jimenez who finished with a team-high 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Hicks added 14 points and junior forward Kristen Lowers finished with 9.
The Lady Hornets will look for their second girls basketball state title and first since 2008 on Saturday vs American Heritage Plantation at 3 p.m. ET.
