Lakeland FL- It was a tough week for Northeast Florida in the FHSAA Final 4 Thursday, as Bishop Kenny fell to Lake Highland Prep 44-32, and St. Augustine fell to Palm Bay 67-36. On Friday, Oakleaf bowed out of the semifinals to Plant 69-52, eliminating all girls basketball teams from Northeast Florida. All three teams faced as what Bishop Kenny Head Coach Charlsea Clark described for her team, a “Goliath” of a challenge referring to the biblical story of David and Goliath.
Lake Highland Prep (18-0) was ranked the #2 team in the country with six-foot-two junior Nyla Harris (ranked #11 in ESPNW’s 2022 rankings), and six-foot-one senior Kayla Blackshear (Alabama signee) who formed arguably one of the best duo’s in the country. Ironically, it wasn’t a duo but a trifecta that did Bishop Kenny in, as guard Eleecia Carter scored 16 points for the Highlanders in their Class 4A state semifinal victory. Kenny’s standout Jasmyne Roberts was missing one thing from her most impressive resume of accomplishments, and that was a state title. Unfortunately, she and her team came up short once again, this time in the Final 4. Roberts ended with 12 points in the game, the leading scorer for Bishop Kenny(20-10).
Palm Bay (23-3) on the other hand was an unfamiliar foe for St. Augustine (26-2). Yet in still, the Pirates came into their contest ranked as the #12 team in the state of Florida. Sophomore guard Emma Risch (offers from Kentucky, South Carolina) and Mc Donald’s All American senior Mikyla Tolivert (2020 Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Basketball) led them. Tolivert scored 18 points in the win as the Pirates hit ten 3-pointers in the game to defeat the Yellow Jackets. St. Augustine’s Kyra Stauble (West Florida commit) came into their game leading the team averaging 13.2 ppg. So it’s no surprise that Palm Bay’s focus was to get the ball out of her hands to disrupt the offense. They were successful, as Stauble managed only 4 points in the game. Janiyah Jackson led St Augustine in the losing effort scoring 12 points in the class 5A state semifinal.
Plant (24-3) came into the class 7A state semifinal as the #13 ranked team in the state, and showcased Nyla Jean who has several collegiate offers including one from Jacksonville University, and Kendall Cheesman (Vanderbilt commit). Jean scored 26 points to lead the Panthers to the championship game over Oakleaf (25-3). Taliah Scott for Oakleaf scored 26 points matching her opponent Nyla Jean’s game high total. Scott is the main reason Oakleaf jumped out to a first quarter lead 21-20 over Plant. They were unable to stop the Panthers on defense and eventually fell behind in the third quarter.
Indeed all three teams (Bishop Kenny, St. Augustine, Oakleaf) faced “giant” tasks in their Final 4 matchups. Yet they all brought skill, heart, and determination to each game while facing the best talent in the country. No players showed this more than the leaders of their teams. Even in losses, Taliah Scott, Jasmyne Roberts, and Kyra Stauble represented the future for girl’s basketball in Northeast Florida. All season showing why they are to be mentioned and regarded as the best.
Just a sophomore, Taliah Scott is arguably the best up and coming player in Northeast Florida. She’s already a dominant player averaging 23.3 ppg. Her goal now is to return to Lakeland two more times, but to do so by winning a title. She looks to take the baton from Bishop Kenny’s Jasmyne Roberts as the best girls basketball player in the area.
Jasmyne Roberts will “take her talents to South Beach” like Lebron James. The University of Miami commit leaves a legacy at Bishop Kenny that includes 2,224 points, 1,005 rebounds and 323 assists. The #24 she wore will be retired for as long as Coach Charlsea Clark is at Bishop Kenny, wrote Clark on twitter. Following the example of former Ribault standout and current University of Tennessee star Rennia Davis, Roberts has the potential to have a spectacular college career at a major program.
Davis is not only the most recognizable woman’s basketball athletes from Northeast Florida for her play on the court, but she’s also the most recognizable for her passion off the court. She has used her platform at Tennessee to speak out against racial injustice, wearing ” I Can’t Breathe” shirts (referencing the killing of George Floyd). It continues the trend from WNBA players down to collegiate players, and yes even to high school players who are changing the culture of sport to cross into the lines of social equality.
UP NEXT: the UNC Greensboro Spartans Catch the game tomorrow at noon on the SEC Network.
Posted by Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball on Saturday, December 19, 2020
Locally, St. Augustine’s Kyra Stauble has exemplified this change, but as a senior in high school. Not only is she a top player in the area by her performance on the court, but she has pushed the envelope even further in prep sports for her activism against racial injustice. Stauble dawned the “Black Lives Matter” shirt earlier in the season in which the St. Augustine team displayed later during the season. Stauble’s words are both true for basketball and the causes surrounding the sport saying, “Make a statement, apply pressure”.
Ironically those words reflect a joint effort which enables teams to become champions, but also to champion important causes together. Leaders like Taliah Scott, Jasmyne Roberts, and Kyra Stauble are responsible for the bright future on the court, as well as off the court in Northeast Florida. Continuing the trend of being the home to several “Florida Dairy Farmers Miss Basketball” winners. Contributing to a culture of winning basketball, but more importantly, also contributing to a culture of winning causes in life.
Featured Image by Eric Hancock
