Recapping the 3A Finals

Recapping the 3A Finals By Michael Wholey 3/4/22 12:00 PM EST Cardinal Mooney and Westminster Academy advanced to the state championship game in 3A after defeating King’s Academy and Florida State University High. In a tight championship game, Westminster Academy pulled out the victory 44-41 to win the 3A State Championship!   <img class="wp-image-382915 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/Lena-Girardi-WA-2-300x199.png" alt="" width="258" height="171" />Westminster Academy got Lakeland by defeating Miami Country Day in the regional championship and finished the season on a 17-game winning streak and going undefeated in 2022 claiming the 3A State Championship over Cardinal Mooney. In the semi-finals, Westminster Academy defeated Florida State University High 69-52. Jumping out to a double-digit early lead in the first half, [player_tooltip player_id="243895" first="Lena" last="Girardi"] and [player_tooltip player_id="151173" first="Claire" last="Erickson"] were a tough backcourt to stop doing the majority of the scoring for WA. Girardi notched a double-double with 27 points and 14 rebounds, while Erickson went 4/5 from 3 and scored 22. The backcourt duo were tough to stop, as they scored a combined 49 of the teams 69 points and shot 60% from the field. In the finals, Cardinal Mooney really focused on locking down Girardi and Erickson as the two shot only 33% from the field and combined for 16 points as opposed to the 49 in the semi-finals. Westminster got major contributions from Taelyn Carey (10 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks) and [player_tooltip player_id="243902" first="Maddie" last="Wallhoff"] who dropped 15 points on 5/7 from 3. It was a competitive game from jump ball to final buzzer, but WA controlled the game, holding the lead from 6 minutes left in the 1st quarter, to the remainder of the game. The 44-41 victory gave Westminster Academy the 3A state championship and avenged their last loss having fallen to Cardinal Mooney on December 31 57-55. <img class=" wp-image-204259 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/10-Olivia-Davis-2-e1614637637752-296x300.jpg" alt="" width="184" height="186" /> To get to the finals, Cardinal Mooney defeated King’s Academy in the semi-finals 50-42. The Cougars were led by [player_tooltip player_id="91658" first="Olivia" last="Davis"], who shot 4/7 from 3 and dropped 16 points to go along with 6 rebounds. While Davis got it done from 3, Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="243900" first="Kali" last="Barrett"] was aggressive attacking off the dribble and getting to the rim, scoring a game high 10 points on 8/16 from the field. <img class=" wp-image-339405 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/274700_standard-e1633989838398-250x300.jpeg" alt="" width="168" height="201" /> The victory sent Cardinal Mooney to the state championship game for a second year in a row but unfortunately, they fell short once again. [player_tooltip player_id="91637" first="Jordyn" last="Byrd"] had a big game dropping 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. While Byrd went 5/9 from the field, it was a struggle offensively for the rest of the starting five of [player_tooltip player_id="243900" first="Kali" last="Barrett"], [player_tooltip player_id="221699" first="Kennedy" last="McClain"], [player_tooltip player_id="91658" first="Olivia" last="Davis"], and Ella Schaefer who shot a combined 6/31 for an excruciating 15%. <img class=" wp-image-370503 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/12/495A6038-scaled-e1640962160826-253x300.jpg" alt="" width="167" height="198" /> For King’s Academy in the semi-finals, they were led by Freshman [player_tooltip player_id="243896" first="Jade" last="Jones"] who was the lone Lion to score in double digits (12 points and 5 rebounds). King’s Academy had relied on a balanced scoring attack of Jones, [player_tooltip player_id="243926" first="Jordan" last="Race"], Mo’Nique Joseph, [player_tooltip player_id="247134" first="Janessa" last="Williams"], Margot McFadden, and [player_tooltip player_id="248417" first="Sophia" last="Kateris"] through a mixture of scores at the rim and knocking down open 3s. The shots did not fall for King’s as they shot 32% from the field (16/50), 27% from 3 (3/11), and 50% from the free throw line (7/14) and turned the ball over 20 times. It was a great season for King’s Academy, finishing 24-6, and return a majority of their roster for next season. <img class=" wp-image-91632 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2019/09/Tonie-Morgan-300x235.jpeg" alt="" width="242" height="189" /> In the other semi-final game, Florida State University High was led by Georgia Tech signee [player_tooltip player_id="91556" first="Tonie" last="Morgan"]. The 5’8 Senior guard dropped 26 points on 8/21 from field and getting to the free throw 12 times, knocking down 8/12. Morgan senior teammate, Auburn signee [player_tooltip player_id="151168" first="Audia" last="Young"] struggled from the field, going 3/16 and only mustering up 9 points. Westminster really clamped down defensively on the Lady Seminoles as they shot just 18/60 from field and 4/22 from 3. They finish the season with a 20-4 record.   Michael Wholey is the lead scout for Florida Prep Girls Hoop Florida and a former division one Assistant Coach at American University, University of Memphis, and Georgia Tech. Wholey and the rest of the Prep Girls Hoop staff, seek to cover the entire state of player, keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news. Our audience often supplies us with some of our best information. If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in the state of Florida, emailing Michael Wholey at <a href="mailto:WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com">WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com</a> or DM him through Twitter or Instagram @WholeyPrepHoops.