FHSAA 3A girls basketball semifinals: Cardinal Mooney, Westminster Academy advance to state championship game

Westminster Academy freshman Lena Girardi had a huge game with 27 points and 14 rebounds.

LAKELAND, Fla. - The 2022 Florida high school girls basketball state tournament tipped off on Wednesday with the 1A, 2A and 3A semifinals.

In the Class 3A semifinals, Cardinal Mooney and Westminster Academy advanced to Friday's state championship game.

Here's a recap of the 3A semifinals:

3A semifinals: Cardinal Mooney 50, King’s Academy (West Palm Beach) 42

Cardinal Mooney has reached the state championship game for the second consecutive year.

The Cougars were led by junior guard Olivia Davis who was stellar from long-distance knocking down four 3-pointers on six attempts in the first half. Davis finished with 16 points, while freshman forward Kali Barrett led the team in scoring with 19.

“I feel like we have a better chance of bringing home a championship than we did last year,” Cardinal Mooney head coach Rico Antonio said. “We got off to a bad start (last year). We didn’t score in the first quarter in that game."

The Lions were led by freshman forward Jade Jones, who was the lone player in double figures with 12 points and 5 rebounds. Junior guard Jordan Race added 6 points and 3 rebounds.

“We just couldn’t get shots to fall and when you don’t get shots to fall, it’s hard to win,” King’s Academy head coach Chris Race said.

3A semifinals: Westminster Academy 69, Florida State University High (Tallahassee) 52

Coming into Wednesday's game, the Westminster Academy Lady Lions had not been to a Final Four in 23 years. 

The Lions were determined to get to the championship game and they came out on fire, quickly building a 21-8 lead.

Freshman forward Lena Girardi and senior guard Claire Erickson combined for 49 of the team’s 69 points in the win. Girardi finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds. Erickson added 22 points and knocked down four 3-pointers.

The Lady Seminoles were led by senior guard Tonie Morgan, who finished with a team-high 26 points. Audia Young added 9 points, while Laniyah Gennie finished with 8 points.

The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for the Seminoles, who finished the season with a 20-4 record.

Westminster Academy will face Cardinal Mooney in the Class 3A Final on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET.