St. Thomas Aquinas girls pull off 3-peat state championship

LAKELAND, FLORIDA – The three-peat is complete. St. Thomas Aquinas, a school renowned for top-notch athletic programs, but not girls basketball until recently,

LAKELAND, FLORIDA – The three-peat is complete.

St. Thomas Aquinas, a school renowned for top-notch athletic programs, but not girls basketball until recently, won its third-consecutive Class 6A state championship on Saturday, topping Charlotte, 67-43, in the title game at the RP Funding Center.

“This was an incredible moment for us,” St. Thomas coach Oliver Berens said. “This season was a very tough season for us. We had to deal with a little bit of adversity in the beginning of the year, losing a player to injury, and we made sure to schedule ourselves a national schedule.

“Our end goal was to make sure that those games prepared us for these moments at the end of the season."

Nyla McFadden (21) brings the ball up the floor against Charlotte in the FHSAA Class 6A state championship game on Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland / Photo by Bill Kemp

No. 1 seed St. Thomas finished 24-8 and became the 14th girls basketball program in the state to win three-or-more consecutive state championships. At one point in the season, the Raiders were 12-8 and won their next 12 games to finish out the season.

“I tell the girls all the time, even though we come back here every year, this is extremely difficult to do,” Berens said.

The game appeared to be won on the boards – especially the offensive glass – where the Raiders outrebounded Charlotte 43-28 overall and 18-6 on second-chance points.

“We had 18 offensive rebounds, which we told the girls was part of our plan. I thought it was a big part of creating the (scoring) separation,” Berens said. “(Defensively, we had to adjust and play three different types of pressures. Ultimately, we were able to bracket them in.”

Charlotte guard Kamryn Corporan looks to drive around St. Thomas Aquinas guard Reina Green in the FHSAA Class 6A state championship game on Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland / Photo by Bill Kemp

St. Thomas put three girls in double figures, East Carolina-signee Karina Gordon with 20 points, Nyla McFadden with 15 and nine rebounds and Kamryn Corporan with 13 points.

“Nyla has had an unbelievable season,” Berens said. “She is someone we can really count on in these situations.”

After a low-scoring first half, St. Thomas took a 21-17 halftime lead which was helped tremendously by a 15-0 run in the period.

St. Thomas Aquinas guard Khadee Hession shoots a pull-up jumper against Charlotte in the FHSAA Class 6A state championship game on Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland / Photo by Bill Kemp

Charlotte (22-7) was led by Wisconsin commit D’Yanis Jimenez with 23 points and eight rebounds while Adriana Iorfida scored 13 points.

“Second chance points, 15 offensive in the first half, was (hard to overcome). It didn’t happen for us,” Charlotte coach Matthew Stephenson said.

Charlotte guard Jimenez D’Yanis drives into the lane against the swarming St. Thomas Aquinas defense in the FHSAA Class 6A state championship game on Saturday at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland / Photo by Bill Kemp