Lakewood Ranch names new girls basketball coach

Lakewood Ranch High has found its Tina Hadley replacement.

The school selected former Booker assistant Melanie Johnson to fill that role. Johnson played college basketball at the University of South Carolina, where she was twice named a second-team All-Southeastern Conference player. 

Hadley left the program in June to take a high school job in Georgia. 

Booker went 19-3 in the regular season in 2016-2017 before losing in the regional semifinals to Robinson High, 68-51. When the Tornadoes' head coach, Loy Moore, left after the season, the program hired Shantia Grace, previously at Dunedin High, to take his spot, leaving Johnson open for the Mustangs' job.