Lake Highland Prep girls win their fourth 4A state basketball title

LAKELAND, FLORIDA – There seems to be no stopping Lake Highland Prep. LHP unleashed a second-half press and transfer guard Jada Eads took her game to another

LAKELAND, FLORIDA – There seems to be no stopping Lake Highland Prep.

LHP unleashed a second-half press and transfer guard Jada Eads took her game to another level in the fourth quarter to pull away from a well-disciplined Jacksonville Bishop Kenny, 55-45. and win the FHSAA Class 4A state championship on Saturday at the RP Funding Center.

The win was the fourth-consecutive girls basketball state championship for Lake Highland Prep (25-6). It was also the sixth state championship for the program, which also won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.

Bishop Kenny guard Sophia Rueppell drives the ball around Lake Highland Prep guard Ari Woodard during the FHSAA Class 4A girls basketball state championship game at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland / Photo by Bill Kemp

“It is an incredible feeling, and I am just a guy standing out front, “ Lake Highland Prep coach Al Honor said. “I have been blessed to coach some wonderful young ladies that want the same thing that I do. The culture was set a long time ago and they did a great job of upholding that culture.”

Eads, a junior guard, transferred from Wekiva where she was part of two-consecutive 6A state runner-up finishes during her freshman and sophomore seasons. She led all scorers with 21 points – 10 in the pivotal fourth quarter – to hammer down her first state championship.

Lake Highland Prep junior Jada Eads, a transfer from Wekiva, where she was twice a state runner-up, scored a game-high 21 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead LHP to the 4A state crown on Saturday / Photo by Brian Smith

Bishop Kenny post player Clare Coyle fouled out with 3:03 left and Lake Highland Prep leading 42-36. Coyle was a rebounding force in the game for Bishop, hauling down 14 rebounds – 12 on the defensive glass.

“We went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the state for three quarters, and we just ran out of gas a little bit in the fourth quarter,” Bishop Kenny coach Will Mayer said.

“We knew we couldn’t get into an up-and-down game with them. One of our big things this year was just trusting the process, so to give ourselves a chance to win this game, we had to (slow the game down). We executed well for three quarters."

Lake Highland Prep guard Eleecia Carter drives to the basket during the FHSAA Class 4A girls basketball state championship game at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. She scored 10 points, including a 6-for-6 performance from the free throw line / Photo by Bill Kemp

Lake Highland guard Lexi Blue, who finished with 10 points and six rebounds, picked up her third personal foul midway through the third quarter but remained on the floor through the rest of a defensive battle and never picked up her fourth.

“This whole year we’ve had a lot of close games, and we played some of the top teams in the country and it didn’t end the way we wanted it to. So, to have this happen and have the four-peat was big for us,” Blue said.

LHP senior guard Eleecia Carter, who has been with the program since the sixth grade, finished with 10 points while going 6-of-6 from the free throw line.

Bishop Kenny post-player Clare Coyle battles for possession of the ball with Lake Highland Prep guard Camila Depool during the FHSAA Class 4A girls basketball state championship game at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Coyle was a force on the boards with 18 rebounds before fouling out with 3:03 remaining / Photo by Bill Kemp

Lake Highland Prep found itself trailing 17-13 at the half with Bishop Kenny displaying great patience with the ball on offense. When the third quarter arrived, Honor made the first move to switch to some full-court pressure defense.

“(Bishop Kenny) played a good game but our girls woke up, and I woke up and realized what was going on, it was time for us to turn it up a little bit and I was really proud of the way they responded,” Al Honor said.

“(Bishop Kenny) did a great job of slowing the game down in minimizing possessions, and it worked, because when I looked up there was just three minutes left in the first half. I was like, wow, we never applied pressure and usually I do.”

Photo by Brian Smith

Photo by Brian Smith

Photo by Brian Smith

Photo by Brian Smith

Photo by Brian Smith

Photo by Brian Smith