5A State Championship Game: American Heritage v Mainland Recap

By Michael Wholey 2/26/23 10:00 AM 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 5A State Championship game between American Heritage (Plantation) v Mainland High School.   .    GAME RECAP   Mainland High School led American Heritage (Plantation) 30-25 at halftime but broke the game open in the 3rd quarter on 50% shooting from the field, outscoring AH 20-5 to take a commanding 50-30 lead through three quarters. Mainland had a balanced attack on both ends of the floor but it was [player_tooltip player_id='331735' first='Anovia' last='Sheals'] with a huge 12 point 3rd quarter that really did the most damage. [player_tooltip player_id='248379' first='Tia' last='Dobson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='91655' first='Jordan' last='Boddie'] gave Mainland a balanced perimeter attack while American Heritage got contributions from Sydni Studesville, [player_tooltip player_id='515288' first='Dezuray' last='McGill'], [player_tooltip player_id='468627' first='Jasleen' last='Green'], and Arielle Facyson. While the 3rd quarter was all Mainland, the 4th quarter was dominated by American Heritage with them storming back scoring 31 points in the 4th only to fall short losing by one point 62-61. Heritage cut Mainland's lead from 20 to 12 with 5 minutes to go with Dobson fouling out for Mainland and Heritage picking up the full court and half court pressure trying to get back in the game. It was the game of the day so far, with the outcome being decided in the final seconds and Mainland ultimately being crowned 5A State Champion.     TOP PROSPECTS   [player_tooltip player_id='219936' first='Mariah' last='Mckenzie'] (American Heritage) 5'9 Guard – Class of 2023   McKenzie was quiet, scoring just 5 points on 2/7 from the field. The athletic 5'9 guard has a strong build and is quick with the ball in her hands. She rebounded the well from the guard position, finishing with 7 rebounds but was not her normal aggressive self. She is one of the top unsigned seniors in the class of 2023.     [player_tooltip player_id='91655' first='Jordan' last='Boddie'] (Mainland) 5'7 Guard – Class of 2023   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/04/Jordan-Boddie-scaled.jpg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-274851" width="223" height="297" /></figure>     Boddie is big, strong and aggressive for a 5'7 guard that loves to play downhill and uses her strong build, size and mass to absorb contact and get into the paint to cause damage. Mainland put the ball in her hands at the top of the key often, allowing her to be a playmaker, creating off the dribble and attacking the paint. She played fearless, attacking the rim relentlessly and putting her body on the line. She finished with 10 points on 5/10 from field, to go along with 5 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists.       Arielle Facyson (American Heritage)5'7 Guard – Class of 2024   Facyson was quietly the Patriots leading scorer, finishing the game with 17 points in just 24 minutes.  She was 4/11 from field, 2/6 from 3, and 7/8 from free throw line, along with 5 assists and 3 steals.  The slender, athletic 5'7 combo guard is quick with the ball in her hands, has explosive open court and 1v1 moves, and can shoot the 3.      [player_tooltip player_id='331735' first='Anovia' last='Sheals'] (Mainland)5'10 Forward – Class of 2024   Sheals turned the game around with 12 points in the 3rd quarter breaking the game open. The 5'10 Forward scored in the paint, controlled the boards, ran the floor, and attacked off the dribble. She is versatile enough to play both the wing and the forward spot, capable of advancing defensive rebounds to start the break and attacking off the dribble in the half court from the wing. She finished with a game high 22 points on 8/14 from the field to go along with 13 rebounds and 5/6 from the free throw line. Her 7 offensive rebounds were game changing, as she dominated the paint and finished well around the rim. She was the game's MVP and instrumental in leading Mainland to a 5A State Championship.     [player_tooltip player_id='248379' first='Tia' last='Dobson'] (Mainland) 5'5 Guard – Class of 2024   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/06/Tia-Dobson-rotated.jpg?w=480" alt="" class="wp-image-454159" width="223" height="297" /></figure>     Dobson was quick and explosive with the ball in her hands. She was excellent in middle ball screen situations and attacking from the top of the key using change of direction and change of speed well. She plays cool, calm and collected, balancing scoring opportunities for herself and creating for others. She was effective from the floor, shooting 6/14 from the field to finish wthi 13 points and 4 assists. She fouled out with 5 minutes to go in the game and was a huge loss as a ballhandler vs American Heritage's pressure.       [player_tooltip player_id='515288' first='Dezuray' last='McGill'] (American Heritage) 6'0 Forward / Center – Class of 2025   For an inside presence, McGill was all American Heritage had finishing with 7 points and 2 rebounds. The 6'0 forward is fairly mobile and deceptively athletic for her size. Just a Sophomore she has a high potential and will play a pivotal role in American Heritage getting back to Lakeland in the next two years.     [player_tooltip player_id='468627' first='Jasleen' last='Green'] (American Heritage) 5'9 Guard – Class of 2026   <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepgirlshoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2022/12/Jasleen-Green-AH-IMG_6622.jpg?w=819" alt="" class="wp-image-572947" width="185" height="231" /></figure>     Green was the best prospect on the court, finishing with 15 points on 5/12 from the field, 5/6 from the free throw line and 10 rebounds. She is a big, strong, athletic guard and just a Freshman. The moved her all over the court on offense, trying to get her touches at the top of the key, the wing, and in the middle of the floor at the high post area. She is talented and has a huge ceiling and is one of the top prospects in the class of 2026.     [player_tooltip player_id='470459' first='Teriyah' last='McFadden'] (American Heritage) 5'7 Guard – Class of 2026   McFadden is the second part of the talented Freshman back court. She is quick on offensive with the ball in her hands and a pesky on ball defender on defense. She finished the game with 5 points, 2 assists, and 1 steal in 20 minutes.     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.

By Michael Wholey 2/26/23 10:00 AM EST