6A State Championship Game: St Thomas Aquinas v Charlotte

By Michael Wholey 2/26/23 3:00 PM EST   The 2023 FHSAA State Tournament concluded in Lakeland at the RP Funding Center hosting the 1A – 7A State Championship games. Here is a recap of the 6A State Championship game between St Thomas Aquinas v Charlotte.     GAME RECAP   The 6A State Championship game was a high scoring intense, first quarter to start the game with a lot of points as St. Thomas Aquinas led 21-17 after 1. From there, it was all St. Thomas Aquinas, outscoring Charlotte 46-26 over the final 3 quarters. St Thomas athleticism, depth, and aggressiveness was too much forcing 17 turnovers and having three players in double digits [player_tooltip player_id='91641' first='Karina' last='Gordon'] (20 points), [player_tooltip player_id='248694' first='Nyla' last='McFadden'] (15 points), and [player_tooltip player_id='221678' first='Kamryn' last='Corporan'] (13 points). Senior [player_tooltip player_id='91644' first='D'Yanis' last='Jimenez'] led all scorers with 23 points and fellow Senior [player_tooltip player_id='401753' first='Adriana' last='Iorfida'] finished with 13, both doing everything they could to keep Charlotte in the game but in the end St Thomas had too much fire power defeating Charlotte 67-43 and claiming the 6A State Championship.     TOP PROSPECTS   [player_tooltip player_id='91641' first='Karina' last='Gordon'] (St. Thomas Aquinas) Guard – Class of 2023– East Carolina signee   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2023/01/Co-Karina-and-Reina.jpeg?w=810" alt="" class="wp-image-583628" width="332" height="419" /></figure>   Gordon finished as St Thomas leading scorer with 20 points on 5/17 from the field and a perfect 8/8 from the free how line. She is an aggressive scoring combo guard who can but the ball in the basket. She scored off the dribble, in transition, from 3, and at the rim. She consistently hunted the paint in the half court and in transition and did a great job drawing contact and getting to the free throw line.   [player_tooltip player_id='219942' first='Reina' last='Green'] (St. Thomas Aquinas) Guard – Class of 2023   Green had a quiet night but was a consistent and calming presence on the court playing all but 1 minute of the game.  The athletic, 5'8 shooting guard finished with 8 points on 4/9 from the field but was most effective on the defensive end.  With St. Thomas picking up the pressure in quarters 2-4, Green was at the top of the press and did a good job applying ball pressure and running through passing lanes.  She finished with 5 steals in addition to her 3 rebounds and 8 points.  She is one of the top unsigned Seniors in the state of Florida.      [player_tooltip player_id='401753' first='Adriana' last='Iorfida'] (Charlotte HS) Guard – Class of 2023   Iorfida kept Charlotte in game early knocking down two early 3-pointers. You simply can not leave her open and let her catch and shoot. She finished with 13 points on 3/5 from the field and 2/3 from 3. Once she hit her two early 3s, St. Thomas did a good job getting into her space and not allowing her to just let it fly and made her put it to the floor, turning her into a penetrator instead of a shooter.     [player_tooltip player_id='91644' first='D'Yanis' last='Jimenez'] (Charlotte HS) 5'8 Guard – Class of 2023 – University of Wisconsin signee   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/01/image2-e1641245428906.jpeg?w=539" alt="" class="wp-image-371798" width="260" height="282" /></figure>   Jimenez was the MVP of the game in the losing effort, doing everything she could to keep her squad in the game in her final game of her prep career.  The 5'8 guard finished with 23 points on 8/17 from the field.  She is shifty with the ball in her hands, using creative and explosive 1v1 moves to get by her defenders and into the paint.  She is a crafty finisher around the rim and also did a good job getting to the free throw line. She played all 32 minutes of the game, wrapping up a spectacular high school career that resulted in three straight trips to Lakeland.  She will head to the University of Wisconsin in the fall and suit up for the Badgers.      [player_tooltip player_id='221678' first='Kamryn' last='Corporan'] (St. Thomas Aquinas) Guard – Class of 2024   Corporan was extremely effective with the ball in her hands, reaching double digits with 13 points on 6/13 from the field while also snatching 2 steals.  She was part of an aggressive and deep perimeter attack for St. Thomas, pushing the tempo on offense, applying full court pressure and turning Charlotte over on defense.  Corporan is a talented offensive scorer who has the ability to take most defenders and get into the paint to either create a shot for a teammate or take it to the rim all the way herself.      [player_tooltip player_id='219924' first='Khadee' last='Hession'] (St. Thomas Aquinas) Guard – Class of 2024   Hession is one of the most consistent and steady two-way players in the state of Florida.  She played all 32 minutes finishing with a stat line representative of her well rounded game 9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals.      [player_tooltip player_id='248694' first='Nyla' last='McFadden'] (St. Thomas Aquinas) Wing – Class of 2025   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/Nyla-McFadden-STA-10.jpg?w=682" alt="" class="wp-image-572991" width="228" height="343" /></figure>     McFadden was impressive as she has all season. She has gotten better and been more productive as the season has progressed. She finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds and was all over the court on both ends shooting 5/9 from the field and 5/8 from the free throw line. 6 of her 9 rebounds were on the offensive end, crashing the boards from the high post and wing aggressively and using her athleticism and length to get her hands on a lot of balls. [player_tooltip player_id='248694' first='Nyla' last='McFadden'] is a big-time college prospect who has a huge ceiling and is the future of St. Thomas Aquinas.       Abbie Willis (Charlotte HS) Forward / Center – Class of 2025   Willis had a quiet night but the 6'0 forward / center is just a sophomore and has a strong skill set and great length.  With Charlotte being led by their two seniors [player_tooltip player_id='91644' first='D'Yanis' last='Jimenez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='401753' first='Adriana' last='Iorfida'], Willis and Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='470461' first='Kamie' last='Ellis'] will be looked at over the next 2-3 years to keep the strong tradition going.      [player_tooltip player_id='470461' first='Kamie' last='Ellis'] (Charlotte HS) 5'9 Guard – Class of 2026   Ellis, just a Freshman played fearlessly and aggressively and did not back down on the big stage.  She played the entire game outside of the last 15 seconds and was very active on both sides of the ball and played hard on every possession.  She struggled to finish in the paint over the length and athleticism of St Thomas Aquinas finishing with 4 points on 2/10 from the free throw line but her potential is obvious and she has a bright future.      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.