Week 8 Rankings and Recap
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1. Lake Highland Prep (11-0) Everyone got what they wanted – a matchup between the two best teams in the state and two of the best in the entire country. LHP displayed some impressive guard play behind Stefanie Ingram Stefanie…
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Continue Reading1. Lake Highland Prep (11-0)
Everyone got what they wanted – a matchup between the two best teams in the state and two of the best in the entire country. LHP displayed some impressive guard play behind Stefanie Ingram Stefanie Ingram 5'7" | CG Lake Highland | 2022 State FL , Eleecia Carter Eleecia Carter 5'7" | CG Lake Highland Prep | 2023 State FL , and Bri Rivera. The bigs ( Nyla Harris Nyla Harris 6'2" | PF Lake Highland Prep | 2022 State #34 Nation FL and Kayla Blackshear Kayla Blackshear 6'1" | PF Lake Highland Prep | 2021 State #61 Nation FL ) did a good job of limiting second chances for Montverde by controlling the boards. The Highlanders only have 6 players that see the floor right now, but as long as those six stay out of foul trouble, this team is going to be really hard to beat.
Week 8 Results: W vs. Montverde (57-47)
2. Montverde (13-1)
MVA suffered their first loss of the year to the best team in the state and possibly the nation. They dug too deep of a hole in the first half that even after a run or two, it was just too late to make a comeback against such a quality team.
Week 8 Results: L vs. Lake Highland Prep (57-47)
3. American Heritage (11-2)
A lot of Team Knight players were on the floor in their matchup against a quality Fort Myers squad on Saturday. Two nice wins this week behind a starting five that can compete with any team in the state.
Week 8 Results: W vs. Cardinal Newman (68-37), W @ Fort Myers (58-48)
4. Blanche Ely (7-1)
A win over STA always feels good. Ely is starting to catch their stride and this team has potential to be even better than last year’s.
Week 8 Results: W @ St. Thomas Aquinas (57-46), W vs. Dillard (66-28)
5. Winter Haven (5-0)
WH is back in action this week! They don’t look to have a tough schedule remaining other than a tournament or two. Bishop Kenny will be their toughest test other than who they are matched up against in those tournaments.
6. Palm Bay (13-1)
The Pirates had five players in double figures in their win over Master’s last Wednesday. Mikyla Tolivert Mikyla Tolivert 5'7" | CG Palm Bay | 2021 State FL led the way with 22 points and 5 assists, and she didn’t miss a two-point shot (11 for 11). Kiara Williams Kiara Williams 6'1" | PF Palm Bay Magnet | 2024 State FL had 12 points/7 rebounds, Emma Rish with 10 points/7 steals/5 assists, Alonya Waldon Alonya Waldon 5'5" | CG Palm Bay Magnet | 2023 State FL added 10points/4 assists, and Jazmine Major Jazmine Major 5'5" | CG Palm Bay Magnet | 2023 State FL contributed 10 points.
Week 8 Results: W @ Master’s Academy (77-42)
7. Central Pointe (16-1)
CPCA has been busy to end 2020 and start 2021. They had a couple easy wins this week, and beat a quality Miami team pretty handily. Silkiari Vazquez Silkiari Vazquez 5'5" | PG Central Pointe Academy | 2022 State FL had a big game against Miami with 16 points and 5 assists.There really isn’t one player to hone in on this team as they have seven players who average 5.8 or more points a game with none that average above 9.1. This is the most balanced team in the entire state.
Week 8 Results: W vs. West Oaks (72-27), W @ Miami (50-38), W @ Lourdes Academy (59-27)
8. Braden River (8-2)
The Pirates grabbed a nice win against Cardinal Mooney behind 31 points by O’Mariah Gordon O’Mariah Gordon 5'6" | PG Braden River | 2021 State #27 Nation FL . Cheyenne Stubbs Cheyenne Stubbs 5'7" | CG Braden River | 2021 State FL kicked in 16 points in the victory. They play Central Pointe tonight which should tell us a lot about both squads. Arguably one of the deepest teams against one of the most top-heavy teams with OMG and Stubbs being the two big factors.
Week 8 Results: W @ Cardinal Mooney (62-57)
9. Plant (15-1)
The Panthers snagged three painless wins this week. One small blemish on their record so far this year, and they will have some tough matchups in the coming weeks. Kendal Cheesman Kendal Cheesman 6'2" | PF HB Plant | 2021 State FL averaged over 16 ppg this week, and Nyla Jean Nyla Jean 5'7" | PG HB Plant | 2021 State FL averaged over 15 ppg this week. The most consistent guard/forward combo in the state.
Week 8 Results: W vs. Wharton (67-21), W vs. Sickles (70-15), W @ Strawberry Crest (63-17)
10. Dunbar (16-0)
Dunbar jumps into our top 10 rankings with an impressive unbeaten record and the highest win total in the state. They are led by four seniors: Aaliyah Williams Aaliyah Williams 5'10" | SG Dunbar | 2021 State FL (13.6ppg, 6.4 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.1 spg), Corbria Crawford Corbria Crawford 5'8" | SG Dunbar | 2021 State FL (10.1 ppg), Dasanni Williamson Dasanni Williamson 5'10" | SF Dunbar | 2021 State FL (9.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), and Luxury Vance Luxury Vance 5'7" | CG Dunbar | 2021 State FL (9.1 ppg). This team has a ton of chemistry with a 62-6 record over the last 3 years. They’ve added Sophomore Haley Lang Haley Lang 6'1" | SF South Fort Myers | 2023 State FL to the equation too. They have some strong wins this year over Barron Collier, Gulf Coast, and Fort Myers.
Week 8 Results: W vs. Riverdale (93-6), W @ Lehigh (73-36)
Next Five: Tampa Bay Tech (4-0), FSU High (9-2), Westminster (11-3), DME (10-3), Palm Beach Lakes (6-0)