Lakeland Bound: 5A State Finals Preview

Class 5A is only left with one team that has more than 20 wins in American Heritage (Plantation) who is looking to win a title for the third year in a row. Here is how 5A has been re-seeded: <ol> <li>American Heritage (22-4)</li> <li>Pine Forest (20-4)</li> <li>Jones (20-9)</li> <li>Southeast (20-8)</li> </ol> <hr /> Matchup No. 1 - American Heritage (Plantation) vs. Southeast (Bradenton) - 02/27/2020 @ 2 pm These two have matched up against one similar opponent in (Miami) Norland, and Heritage beat them by 13 as opposed to Southeast who lost to them by 6. Southeast will struggle against the 6'3 Wyche sisters as they don't have anyone over 5'10 on their team, but the Seminoles are a scrappy team that is used to being undersized. Southeast will need to lean on their guards and outside shooting if they want to beat the 5A team who is head and shoulders above the rest in this class on paper. American Heritage is number 5 in the state, regardless of classification, compared to Pine Forest who is next best at number 30 overall. American Heritage is led by their bigs in <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/taliyah-wyche/">Taliyah Wyche</a> and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/tatyana-wyche/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/tatyana-wyche/">Tatyana Wyche</a></a> along with another junior in <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/daniella-aronsky/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/daniella-aronsky/">Daniella Aronsky</a></a>. These three average a double double (assists for Daniella) as the only team in the state to have a trio at that level. There aren't many teams that can match with Taliyah or Tatyana in terms of size and strength with them leading their team in scoring, rebounding, and shot blocking. As for the Patriots guards, Daniella leads the way by sitting at the top of the state in assists with 10 per game. They also have two seniors, Maurissa Edwards and December Stubbs (#3 rebounder on the team), who see the floor well and create havoc on the defensive end. Teams will have to be creative if they want to beat the best big combo in the state with the Wyche sisters. Southeast is one of the scrappiest teams in the state who can play with the best of them. Mikera Patton (2020) will need to play big and use her athleticism against this larger opponent and their star player, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/barresha-jones/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/barresha-jones/">Perryauna Youmans</a></a> (2021), will have to be shooting and scoring at a high level on Thursday if they want to pull off this upset. Perryauna is crafty and acrobatic around the hoop which will help against American Heritage, but they will need more than those two to play well to get a W. Kayla McDuffie (2021) will need to shoot it well and put pressure on the ball like she can. If they can all do their thing, then the last piece to the puzzle will be Ce'Mya Brooks (2021) taking care of the ball and getting to the hole. It will be an uphill climb for the Seminoles, but they are a tough team that's up to any task. <hr /> Matchup No. 2 - Pine Forest (Pensacola) vs. Jones (Orlando) - 02/27/2020 @ 4 pm Both of these teams can go about 8 or 9 girls deep, are from very different parts of the state, and have never played any similar teams which makes this an interesting matchup to preview. Jones has played a tougher schedule, but Pine Forest is ranked higher with a better overall record. Last year, both of these teams exited much earlier in the Regional Semifinals. Jones is led by a more experienced group and are a little more balanced in their attack than Pine Forest. The biggest contrast you will see in this one if the height differential with Jones having the advantage. This should be a very exciting game to watch on Thursday. Pine Forest is led by <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/danielle-luckey/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/danielle-luckey/">Danielle Luckey</a></a> (2021) and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/tahnyjia-purifoy/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/tahnyjia-purifoy/">Tahnyjia Purifoy</a></a> (2022) who will be the two that can push this team to the next level in Lakeland. Danielle is the best post player on this team and she's been dealt a tough task against a bigger Jones team, but she's a fantastic scorer and rebounder who can also block a few shots and get a couple steals on the other end. You'll always hear about Tahnyjia's height, but she uses that as a chip on her shoulder to blow by you or hit a deep three. She also sees the court well and is in your shorts on defense. Other than those two, look for Tynia Barnes-Malishan (2021) to step up on offense and crashing the boards with the aforementioned two getting most of the attention. Another small guard in Carlysia Santiago (2020) is a scrappy defender who makes some nice passes like Tahnyjia. The Eagles haven't come very close to losing since they went on a three-game skid during one week in January. Five of the top six scorers are seniors this year on the Fightin' Tigers squad. Their top two scorers are both 6 foot or taller, too, which presents a problem for Pine Forest. Those two seniors are Armani Fitzgerald (6') and Alanta Partee (6'3) who also average 9 or more boards a game. Armani is a special player who can carry this team with the amount of skill and IQ she has. Ra'niya White (2020) and Takiyah Alston (2021) are the two guards that handle the rock, put on defensive pressure, and are very capable scorers/passers. Danasia Southerland (2020) is another guard who can do a little bit of everything for this Jones team. I think the Tigers have the best shot at knocking American Heritage off of their three-peat run, but they have to play very well to beat Pine Forest in the semi's.