Mustangs face Niceville in girls basketball Final Four

The Lakewood Ranch girls basketball team will make its first Final Four appearance Feb. 19; but for Mustangs coach Tina Hadley, it’s a trip a decade in the making.

 Led by LaDazhia Williams, the District 16 Player of the Year for Class 7A who is averaging 16 points per game, and seniors Kailyn Scully, Elise Spiller and Kyra Klarkowski, Lakewood Ranch will face Niceville in the Class 7A state semifinals at 10 a.m. Feb. 19, at the Lakeland Center. 

Ten years ago, Hadley first took over the program with the goal of bringing a state championship back to Lakewood Ranch. She soon realized she had her work cut out for her. 

The Mustangs limped through three losing seasons, as Hadley struggled to turn her players into basketball players. That’s when Hadley decided that if Lakewood Ranch was going to be a legitimate contender, the girls needed to make basketball a priority. 

Hadley began holding open gyms, and in 2009, she launched Next Level Hoops — a travel basketball organization designed to teach players, ranging in age from elementary to high school, the game of basketball. 

After introducing her players to the travel ball circuit, Hadley saw Lakewood Ranch post its first winning season that winter. 

Since the 2009-10 season, the Mustangs have posted five winning seasons and have recorded at least 20 wins each of the past three seasons. 

Now, the Mustangs, who are ranked No. 2 in Class 7A in the Florida Association of Basketball Coaches/Source Hoops state rankings, are about to make history again. After falling four points shy of reaching the state semifinals last season, Lakewood captured its first regional championship with a 49-42 victory against Palm Harbor in the Class 7A-Region 3 finals Feb. 12. 

With the win, Lakewood earned a berth in the Final Four for the first time. 

“The thing I’m excited about the most is for them to experience the opportunity,” Hadley said. “They realize now the only reason that they are here is because they work extremely hard every summer. We expected that eventually the hard work would pay off. 

“That’s why they are on the track at 6 a.m. every day in the summer and why we lift weights year round,” Hadley said. “It’s for these moments.” 

Similar to Lakewood Ranch, Niceville, a 52-46 winner against Lee High, will be making its first Final Four appearance. The Eagles are 21-9 heading into the state semifinals and enter the contest coming off of three road victories after finishing as the district runner-up. 

Lakewood Ranch (25-6) also posted three straight road victories to reach the Final Four and is looking to make headlines by capturing a state championship without winning a district championship. 

“If we can stop (Jessie Day), their best player, and limit her points, then I feel like we can win the game,” Hadley said. 

The winner of Friday’s state semifinal will face the winner of the other semifinal between Winter Haven, which is ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 7A, and South Broward. 

Lakewood and Winter Haven met in the final game of the regular season with the Blue Devils walking away with a 49-48 overtime victory. The Mustangs would like nothing more than a rematch with a state championship on the line. 

“I’m just excited for them,” Hadley said. “One of my personal goals was to take a high school team to the state championship playoffs and win. Let’s not forget the winning part. We want to win. 

“I know how that feels to be the No. 1 team in the state,” said Hadley, who won a state championship with Southeast in 1985. Nobody thought we would do it. At Southeast, you’re expected to win. At Lakewood Ranch, you’re not really expected to win. Lakewood Ranch isn’t one of those schools.”