Florida Girls Basketball Class 3A Semifinal Previews and Prediction

High School on SI will be previewing all seven semifinal and championship games as well as making predictions to see who will play for a state championship

Rutherford Rams Ava Butler (21) tries to shoot two while being pressured by Bolles Bulldogs guard Abby Knauff (14). The Rutherford Rams played the Bolles Bulldogs in the FHSAA Region 1-3A girls basketball final at Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. Friday night, February 21, 2025. Bolles defeated Rutherford 52-38. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]2025 / Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The FHSAA Class 3A state girls basketball final four teams are set in the state of Florida and the classification did not disappoint. We've seen plenty of upsets as well as some thrilling finishes over the last couple of weeks.

Heading into Friday's state semifinal games, everything has held to chalk. Cardinal Mooney who is the one seed will take on the four seed, Sports Leadership & Management. The other matchup is the two seed, Somerset Academy, and they will take on the three seeded, Bolles Bulldogs.

Class 3A Semifinal #1: Friday, February 28 at 9:00 a.m.

Somerset Academy (20-7) vs Bolles (24-5)

Somerset Academy comes into this game on a five-game win streak with four of their wins coming by at least 17 points, and two of these games they won by over 30 points. After losing in the Class 4A Regional Finals last season, they have built upon that in their first year in Class 3A this season.

Their two leading scorers are both underclassmen in Alana Pinnock and Delanie Doty. They are also the only two players who are averaging double figures. Pinnock is averaging 15.8 points per game while Doty is averaging 12.7 points per game. Pinnock also leads the team in rebounds, steals and blocks per game.

The Cougars clinched their spot in the Class 3A Final Four when they defeated King's Academy 76-53 on February 21.

Meanwhile, their opponent is Bolles who defeated Rutherford 52-38 to clinch their spot in the Class 3A Final Four.

The Bulldogs come into this game on a 14-game winning streak with their last loss coming on January 4 to Monteverde Academy. After starting the season1-3, the Bulldogs responded by only losing two more times the entire season.

They have been playing suffocating defense all season long by defeating all of their opponents except one by double digits. They have also only allowed their opponent to score at least 50 points in 20 of their 24 wins.

They have four players averaging double figures with senior guard, Abby Knauff, averaging 15.6 points per game. Another player to watch is junior center, Terrell McCoy. She is averaging 12.2 points per game. She also is averaging 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game which leads the team.

Prediction: Bolles

Class 3A Semifinal #2: Friday, February 28 at 11:00 a.m.

SLAM Miami (16-12) vs Cardinal Mooney (22-9)

After finishing the season at 23-4 and making the Class 4A Final Four last season, SLAM has once again found success in the postseason this year. After going 1-6 from January 14 - February 1, all seemed to be lost, but they got back on track when they defeated Gulliver Prep 74-31. That win started a five-game winning streak with all of their wins coming by at least 10 points.

They are also playing their best basketball at the right time which makes them a dangerous team when they play tomorrow in the semifinal.

They are led by senior point guard, Jim'Miyah Branton, who leads the team in almost every statistical category. This season, Branton is averaging 15.5 points, 8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.6 steals per game. She is also averaging just under one block per game which also leads the team.

Adaya Montalvo is also another player to watch for as she finished with 18 points, two rebounds and three assists in the 75-52 win over Cardinal Gibbons in the Regional Semifinals. She also leads the team in three-point percentage.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney got to this point by defeating Windermere Prep 71-60. The Cougars enter this game red-hot as they are on a 15-game winning streak with their last loss coming on to Winter Haven on January 8 where they lost 50-27. During this win streak, 13 of their wins have been by double digits which shows how relentless they can be on defense.

This game also has the makings of a closely contested matchup as they defeated SLAM 66-56 back on February 1.

Their two leading scorers are Madi Mignery and Kali Barrett who are both averaging just over 15 points per game. Mignery is averaging 16 points, nine rebounds, just under two assists and one steal per game. Barrett is averaging 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals per game.

This will be a hard-fought battle with two red-hot teams matching up with each other to see who will play for the state championship on March 1.

Prediction: Cardinal Mooney