Class 3A Region 4: Player Breakdown

The road to Lakeland begins this week with state tournament play across South Florida. In this article, I would like to break down some of the top players in Class 3A Region 4. The top seed is powerhouse Miami Country Day. The Lady Spartans are 18-8 overall and have won seven state championships since 2014. Not bad! 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="217667" first="Kayla" last="Nelms"] and 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="91642" first="Kristina" last="Godfrey"] are a dynamic duo for Miami Country Day. The 6-foot-2 Nelms can score inside and out. She has the size to rebound and putback buckets in the paint. Nelms' ability to dominate on the floor is impressive. The 5-foot-9 Godfrey has solid point guard skill with her ability to create. She can also shoot and space the floor. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="219935" first="Aicha" last="Keita"] is long with a 6’4 wingspan. No. 8 seed South Academy South Homestead has won 15 games. The Hurricanes are led by 2022 Jakay Mack (10.1 ppg) and Jasmine Maldonado (11.3 rpg). 2025 Justice Sheppard can deliver the mail with 7.5 assists per game. No. 2 Westminster Academy will face No. 7 Coral Shores. 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="243895" first="Lena" last="Girardi"] can score from all three levels. The 6-foot shooting guard/small forward has excellent ball skill and can put it on the floor. Girardi has a great first step and can use her length to get to the rim. She will also rebound at a high rate because of it. Girardi is one of the best freshman in Florida. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="243925" first="Taelynn" last="Carey"] is a player that I want to see step up her offensive game. She has more than enough capability to score inside the paint. Carey can put it on the floor and get to her spot in this area. I just want to see her finish. She already offers defensive ability with her rebounding and overall rim protection at 6-foot-1. 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="151173" first="Claire" last="Erickson"] is a capable scorer that can create opportunities off the dribble. The 5-foot-6 can shoot it from deep and should stay aggressive. 2022 Bekky Valenzeula leads Coral Shores in points (19.0), rebounds (12.9), assists (6.8), and steals (5.1). She clearly needs to have a big game in this one. 2022 Kylie Deckard is a tough player inside. The 6-foot center is averaging just over eight points and 12 rebounds with two blocks per game. No. 3 seed Miami Palmer Trinity will face No.6 seed Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. 2024 [player_tooltip player_id="217669" first="Jade" last="Leon"] and 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="91640" first="Emily" last="Montes"] each average 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The 5-foot-10 Montes leads the Falcons in assists (3.5) and steals (4.5). Leon is 5-foot-10 with nearly three steals of her own. You can see the problem teams have with their length on the perimeter. Montes is committed to Columbia University. Carrollton School played Palmer Trinity twice, losing both games by a combined 19 points. The first outing was a six-point defeat. Can they get them the third time around? No. 4 seed Ransom Everglades will face No.5 seed Somerset Academy Silver Palms. The Lady Raiders won 16 games behind [player_tooltip player_id="352567" first="Kathryn" last="Serra"] (12 ppg/12.8 rpg). The 5-foot-9 Serra can play multiple positions. She also has tallied over six steals per contest. 2024 Leah Croom can shoot the three with 31 knock downs. Somerset Academy Stallions have two players that can shoot the three in 2027 [player_tooltip player_id="243916" first="Victoria" last="Valle"] (63 3pm) and 2026 [player_tooltip player_id="243907" first="Ashley" last="Martinez"] (52 3pm). 2024 Unique Horton is a solid frontcourt player with over ten boards and just under two blocks per game. The Lady Stallions have multiple young players that can contribute in a variety of ways. For any South Florida Prep Girls Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23.