Northeast FL- In a year where most people thought girls’ basketball was having a down year in Northeast Florida, 19 local teams made the playoffs this season. Among them are familiar names in Bishop Kenny, Oakleaf, and St. Augustine who all made it to the final four last season. Each team features some of the best players from the area.
Bishop Kenny is led by sharp-shooter Maddie Millar, who is looking to go 4 for 4 in making it to the final four in District 4A. Will this be the year that they finally win the championship? They have a great chance with the supporting cast of Clare Coyle, Sydney Roundtree, Sophia Rueppell and Riley Talbert. It won’t be easy though as they still will have to get past Lake Highland Prep who has ended their season each of the last 3 years and is one of the best teams in the nation. They will need to make it out their region first. Instead of battling it out with Raines and Ribault this time, they will potentially have to get past Jackson again.
Jackson is new to the district but has been one of the best teams in the area this year. They won the Gateway Conference Championship this year and have an experienced team led by Jazmine Jackson, Indreauna Bargeron, Irene Kabassubabo and Xaniya Jackson. It will be hard to beat them twice in one season. Other local teams in their region include Bolles who is led by Abby Knauff and Paxon who is led by Ansley Hicks and Kennedy Waymer.
Oakleaf had an up and down season as they played one of the toughest schedules in the area this season. They hope to have a repeat trip to the Final Four in District 7A this year. Their record does not reflect how good of a team they are. They have two of the best players in the area in Fantasia James and Kaylah Turner. They also have one of the best shooters in Kamiyah Jones. They will have a tough task as they would possibly have to beat Colonial and Spruce Creek who are two of the best teams in the State. The only other local team in this region is Mandarin.
Mandarin started the season off on a roll. They remain undefeated at 14-0 until the Gateway Conference Tournament where they lost to Jackson, the eventual champions in the semifinals. They lost to Oakleaf in the district championship game but look to get back on track in the Regional Quarterfinals. They will have a tough task as they travel to face a tough Spruce Creek team. They are well coached and seem to reload every season. If Mandarin is to pull off the upset, they will need super sophomore Nykeria Thomas and seniors Ellie Jackson and Samantha Freeland to each have their best games of the season.
St. Augustine has been the best team all season in Northeast Florida and look to make it back to the final four again this year. They are led by seniors Janiyah Jackson and Emily McIntosh. They finished the regular season undefeated at 20-0. Their first and only lost came in the District Championship to a young Ponte Vedra team who also beat Nease on their way to the championship. They are led by sophomores Morgan Gavazzi and Kennedy Rosendahl. Their district is arguably the toughest in the area as Nease also qualified for the playoffs. They are led by Sydney Gomes, Allison Fifield and Camryn Robinson. It is unfortunate that only one of them can make it out of this region because they are all deserving. It is also unfortunate that Ponte Vedra and Nease will have to play each other in the first round.
Other local teams to make the playoffs this season include Orange Park, Ribault, Ridgeview in District 5A, Providence, Episcopal and Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in District 3A, and University Christian, North Florida Educational Institute, St. Johns Country Day and St. Joseph Academy in District 2A. Orange Park earned the top spot in their region and have a great chance to make it to the final four led by Eris Lester, Nia Brown and Samantha Hardison. They will likely have to get past Pine Forest who secured the second seed in their region. University Christian and St. Johns Country Day also have a chance to make it to the final four, but they will likely have to face each other to do it. They split their first two matchups this season. FAMU High is also in their region so it will be tough. University Christian has a balanced team that plays hard and is led by Tai Baldwin and St. Johns Country Day is led by the leading scorer in Florida, Taliah Scott. Providence, Ribault and Ridgeview all have some good young talent and are well coached. Any of them could make a surprise run but are likely one year away from making some real noise.
Overall, Northeast Florida has as good a chance as we had in a long time to bring home a championship with all the talented teams that we have representing us this season. Please go out and support our local teams as the playoffs get started this Thursday, February 10, 2022. Click here to access your favorite team’s schedule.
