Bloomingdale girls basketball advances to first FHSAA Final Four in school history

VALRICO, Fla. - History was made on Friday night as the Bloomingdale girls basketball team beat Land O'Lakes 45-37 to advance to its first FHSAA Final Four in school history.

The Lady Bulls (25-5) will play St. Thomas Aquinas on Feb. 24 in the nightcap of the Class 6A state semifinals from the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. St. Thomas Aquinas thumped Seminole Ridge 79-25 in the Class 6A, Region 4 Final Friday night.

The Lady Bulls were led by senior guard Jolene Raposo who finished with a team-high 10 points. Junior guard Ava Knauer and freshman center Izellah Kendrick each added 9 points in the win. Junior forward Aissatou Diallo added 8 points of her own.

“These girls have worked hard and deserve to be in the Final Four,” Bloomingdale head coach Joel Bower said following the win. “They are a very unselfish team and care about each other, as well as to win."

The Lady Gators (20-5) were led by freshman guard Jaylin Neder who was the lone member in double figures, finishing with a game-high 13 points. Junior guard Nidgi Schnaeidr added 7 points.

“It hurts when your season ends short of the goal you make at the beginning of the season,” Land O’Lakes head coach Talitha Brown said. “We are only losing one senior this year, so expect us to be back better and more experienced.”

Box Score 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total

Land O’Lakes 4 12 6 15 37

Bloomingdale 7 16 11 11 45

Team Stats (Unofficial)

Land O’Lakes: Jaylin Neder- 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Land O’Lakes: Nidgi Schnaeidr- 7 points, 2 rebounds, 4 turnovers

Bloomingdale: Jolene Raposo- 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals