Florida high school girls basketball Class 5A 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

New Smyrna Beach's Olivia Olson (3) drives toward the basket against Leesburg, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025 during the Region 2-5A finals in New Smyrna Beach. / David TuckerNews-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The FHSAA Class 5A 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, everything has held in store. In the first semifinal, the No. 3 seeded Gainesville Hurricanes, making their first Final Four appearance since 1987, will take on the No. 2 seeded Northeast (Oakland Park) Hurricanes, making their first appearance in the final four. In the other semifinal, the No. 4 seed Clearwater Tornadoes are back in the Final Four for the first time since 2023 taking on the No. 1 seed New Smyrna Beach who are making their first trip to Lakeland.

Class 5A Semifinal #1: Wednesday, March 5 at 1:00 p.m.

Gainesville (16-8) vs Northeast (Oakland Park) (26-2)

The Gainesville Hurricanes are in the Final Four for the first time in 38 years, but have a tall task where they will face Northeast who is ranked No. 2 in Class 5A

The Hurricanes come into Wednesday's matchup on a seven-game winning streak dating back to January 28 where they lost to Rural champion Wildwood, 54-50.

The Hurricanes are led by a two-headed monster duo between senior combo guards Jamison Cardwell and Jayden Terry who are averaging 16.2 and 13.1 points per game, respectively.

The Hurricanes are just two wins away from winning their first-ever state championship in program history.

Northeast has set a program-record winning 26 games this season and are making their first Final Four appearance in school history.

Northeast comes into Wednesday's final four matchup on a 12-game winning streak dating back to January 18 where they lost to 2A state champion Miami Country Day.

Northeast is led by 5'5 senior guard Nykeria Flowers who is averaging 19.3 points per game this season, and 5'6 junior guard Jazmine Jones is averaging 17.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this season.

Also, keep an eye on 5'9 sophomore forward Brianna Lovett who is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 4.1 rebounds per game this season.

Prediction: Northeast

Class 5A Semifinal #2: Wednesday, March 5 at 5:00 p.m.

Clearwater (18-9) vs New Smyrna Beach (25-5)

The Clearwater Tornadoes are making their second appearance in the Final Four in the last three seasons, but its their first under head coach Hannah Kotzen.

Kotzen in just her first season as the Head Coach of the Lady Tornadoes took over following Darian Dublin's resignation in April of 2024.

The Tornadoes come into Wednesday's matchup on a five-game winning streak dating back to January 31 where they lost to Lakewood, 60-50.

The Tornadoes have a balanced scoring attack led by 5'7 senior guard Peyton Flournoy and 5'11 junior combo guard Allevia Williams who are averaging 13.7 and 13.0 points per game, respectively.

The Tornadoes punched their ticket to the Final Four, following a 48-36 win over Port Charlotte in the regional finals back on February 21.

The New Smyrna Beach Barracudas come into Wednesday's final four matchup as the No. 1 ranked team in Class 5A.

The Barracudas enter the Final Four on a 13-game winning streak dating back to January 13 where they lost to 4A semifinalist Palm Bay. Only three of those 13 wins during the streak have come by fewer than 10 points.

Head Coach Aisha Patrick in just her second season leading the Barracudas, is no stranger to coaching in a Final Four as she previously led Cocoa to Lakeland back in 2020 where they lost to Class 4A runner-up Bishop Kenny.

The Barracudas defeated Orlando Jones, River Ridge, and Leesburg to punch their ticket to the Final Four.

The Barracudas are led by 5'10 senior combo guard Olivia Olson, who is signed to play college basketball at Marshall University, averaging 21.6 points per game this season.

Also, keep an eye on 5'9 sophomore small forward Iniya Reddicks who is averaging 16.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 3.7 steals per game this season.

Prediction: New Smyrna Beach