Florida girls basketball FHSAA Class Rural semifinals preview, 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.

Madison County's Tahj Dobson (5), center, loses the ball against Hilliard's Alyssa Hallman (15), right, as Molly Dean (1) looks on during the third quarter of an FHSAA Region 3-Rural high school girls basketball semifinal Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 at Hilliard Middle-Senior High School in Hilliard, Fla. Hilliard defeated Madison County 65-39. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Rural classification 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 Wednesday's state semifinal games, both matchups should be intriguing to watch as we feature a couple of first-time semifinalists.

Class Rural Semifinal #1: Wednesday, February 26 at 1:00 p.m.

Blountstown (20-6) vs Wildwood (23-0)

The Blountstown Lady Tigers are led by Head Coach John Ellerbee come into the Final Four having won 10 of their last 11 games and are in Lakeland for the first time in school history.

The Tigers are led by 5'9 sophomore guard Cyianna Smith who is the team's leader in points, rebounds, and steals this season.

The Tigers are looking to play spoiler as they face a Wildwood squad who remains the lone unbeaten girls basketball team in the state of Florida.

The Tigers come into Lakeland on a six-game winning streak dating back to January 23 against Rutherford.

The Wildwood Lady Wildcats are no stranger to being in the Final Four where they are making their fourth consecutive appearance and are just one win away from reaching their third championship game appearance in the last four seasons.

The Wildcats are led by 5'6 senior guard Trinidy Harris who is the team's leading scorer, averaging 19 points per game this season.

Another name to keep an eye on will be 5'4 freshman point guard Zoey Brown who is averaging 12.8 points and 6.6 assists per game this season.

Prediction: Wildwood

Class Rural Semifinal #2: Wednesday, February 26 at 5:00 p.m.

Hilliard (18-8) vs Holmes County (25-2)

The Flashes have one of the youngest teams in the state where three of their five starters are in either seventh or eighth grade.

The Flashes are in their first Final Four since 2015, where they lost in the semifinals to eventual state runner-up Wildwood.

The Flashes are just one win away from reaching the championship game for the first time in 37 years where they lost to Laurel Hill, but are looking for history to not repeat itself.

The Flashes are led by junior guard Alyssa Hallman who just dominates on the interior, as well as her perimeter shooting where she averages 17.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season. Hallman has also recorded a double-double 10 times this season as well as in four consecutive games.

Since a December 20 defeat to Enterprise (Alabama), the Holmes County Blue Devils have carried a 13-game winning streak heading into the Final Four.

The Blue Devils have just two losses on the season (Booker T. Washington and Enterprise) sit with just one win away from reaching the championship game for the first time since 2019.

The Blue Devils returned just two starters from last season's program in seniors Emma Whitaker and Savannah Goodman.

In the Blue Devils' 13-game winning streak, their closest game was a 6-point win over Jay back on February 18.

The Blue Devils are led by 1st-year head coach Joan Albury who is no stranger to having coaching experience where she spent the last seven seasons coaching at Peru State.

Prediction: Holmes County

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