Class 7A Region 3: Player Preview

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 7A Region 3. The No. 1 seed is Vero Beach. The Indians are 20-3 overall and have won an impressive 16 straight games. That's a lot of momentum heading into a state tournament. 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="346835" first="Jaida" last="Civil"] is averaging 16.5 points and 5.7 boards per game. South Florida’s No. 8 seed is Coral Springs. The Colts are 11-8 overall. No. 4 seed Santaluces will face No. 5 seed Palm Beach Lakes. 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="166162" first="Kendra" last="Bentley"] is averaging 24.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field for the Chiefs. Bentley has six games with 30 or more points this season. She scored 26 points in a loss against Palm Beach Lakes back in November. Currently, Bentley is tenth in scoring in Florida. I think she is the type of player you would want during playoff time. 2022 Britney Chery is averaging over 11 boards per game while 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="247128" first="Celena" last="Cooley"] has dished out six assists per contest. Per information, 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="91601" first="Angelina" last="Wimbley"] is averaging 18.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game over 11 games. I would add that the Chiefs are a good defensive team. They have four players that average over three steals per game.The Lady Rams are led by Casey Lewis (11.4 ppg/5.7 rpg). The 5-foot-9 forward is also a good defender with over 3 steals per contest. 2022 Janise Paul is a 6-foot center that is averaging over ten boards per game. Palm Beach Lakes beat Santaluces back in November. No. 2 seed Spanish River will face No. 7 seed Wellington. The Sharks are 18-3 overall and have won 11 straight games behind 2022’s Mya Quinn and [player_tooltip player_id="91586" first="Aly" last="Avrach"]. Spanish River’s lone loss to a team inside Palm Beach County was to Palm Beach Lakes (51-47). Wellington (19-5) will look to make that No. 2. The Wolverines are led by 2023’s [player_tooltip player_id="243935" first="Gaby" last="Toledo"] (12.1 ppg) and Tatyana Crafton. The 5-foot-6 Crafton does a bit of everything on the floor for Wellington. The point guard is averaging 8.7 points and team-best 5.5 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 3.4 assists per game. Both Toledo and 2022 Karina Balcarel are likely deep threats. No. 3 seed Freedom will face No. 6 seed Centennial. The Patriots (17-9) are out of Orlando. 2022’s Gaby Fontan and [player_tooltip player_id="248875" first="Sydney" last="Ellis"] are two of their top three leading scorers. Ellis, a 5-foot-10 forward, is averaging a team-best 6.6 boards per contest. 2025 [player_tooltip player_id="249437" first="Olivia" last="Staples"] is averaging over 10 points per game. Port St. Lucie Centennial is 13-8 overall. 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="154906" first="Kennedy" last="Cannon"] has been dominant for the Eagles. The 6-foot-2 center is averaging 14.5 points, 15.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor. 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.