- November 24, 2024
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The Lakewood Ranch girls basketball team got off to a slow start and was never able to recover, as the Mustangs fell to Winter Haven 44-28 in the Class 7A state championship game.
It was the second time this season the two teams had met with the Blue Devils edging past the Mustangs 49-48 in overtime nearly a month ago.
Similar to their regular season matchup, the Mustangs fell behind in the first quarter. Lakewood pulled within 19-13 in the third quarter before Winter Haven's Diamond Battles scored six straight points to put the Blue Devils up by 12.
The Mustangs cut the Blue Devils lead to eight points heading into the fourth quarter, but were unable to close the gap.
"We played hard and that's all I can ask for," coach Tina Hadley said.
Senior point guard Kailyn Scully finished with 12 points to lead the way for the Mustangs, who shot 11-of-39 from the floor and 6-of-18 from the free throw line. Junior forward LaDazhia Williams, who went down with a cramp in her calf in the second half, had 11 points and five rebounds. Junior guard India Searls finished with a team-high eight rebounds.
It was the final game for Scully and fellow seniors Elise Spiller and Kyra Klarkowski, who helped shape the Mustangs program over the past four years.
"It's amazing to be able to get this far," Scully said. "Second in the state is still a huge accomplishment. We went out with a bang and I couldn't be prouder of my team."