The girls basketball district tournaments ended last week. Here is the list of area champions, all of which secured a spot in the playoffs with most hosting a region quarterfinal match tonight.
Class 7A, District 9
Winter Haven
Durant’s 11-game win streak came to an end with a loss to the Blue Devils in the championship game.
Winter Haven, ranked No. 3 in the class by MaxPreps, won five of its past six games by 28 or more points.
Class 7A, District 10
Plant
The Panthers, ranked No. 6 in the class by MaxPreps, beat Sickles for the second time this season in the title game. Plant pulled away in the second quarter and cruised to a 66-42 victory.
Tanner Strickland scored 19 points and Julia Miller had 18 to lead the Panthers against the Gryphons.
Class 7A, District 11
Newsome
The Wolves relied on their defense, allowing a combined 60 points in wins over Riverview and Lakewood Ranch.
Newsome has now won six straight games and has given up 36 points or less in each of those victories.
Class 6A, District 4
Land O’ Lakes
The Gators showed why they were the top seed with a pair of dominating performances to take home the title.
Land O’ Lakes routed Springstead 62-24 in the semifinals and Wiregrass Ranch 60-31 in the final.
Jaylin Neader (26 points) and Lily Meier (22) were the top two scorers for the Gators against the Bulls.
Class 6A, District 9
Hillsborough
The Terriers won their first district title since 2015.
They did it by rallying from a two-point halftime deficit to beat Wharton 51-42 in the title game. The turning point came in the fourth quarter when Hillsborough outscored the Wildcats 18-9.
Deanna Epps, who had 11 points, was the lone Terrier to reach double-digits in scoring.
Class 6A, District 10
Bloomingdale
The defending state semifinalist Bulls started their postseason with a strong performance, cruising to wins over Palmetto (72-46) in the semifinals and Tampa Bay Tech (60-42) in the final.
Kyrstin Wolff recorded a double-double, finishing with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Noelle Mengel had 14 points against the Titans.
Class 5A, District 6
River Ridge
The Royal Knights, the top seed in the tournament, had no trouble winning the title, beating Cypress Creek 61-28 in the semifinals and Wesley Chapel 58-39 in the final.
Lauren Lee and Liv Litaker each scored 16 points and Desiree Collins added 13 to lead River Ridge in the title game.
Class 5A, District 8
Spoto
First-year coach Asia Roster took over a team that won two games last season and transformed into district champions.
The Spartans took home the title by beating Blake 54-34 in the semifinals and King 28-21 in the final.
Spoto’s top two scorers in the title game were Aniya Morelli (eight points) and Suri Thomas (six points).
Class 5A, District 9
Clearwater
The Tornadoes overcame early season injuries to win their third straight district title, routing Seminole 75-12 in the final.
Clearwater has now won three straight games, including a victory over Gibbs two weeks ago for its fourth straight Pinellas County Athletic Conference title.
In the district final, Ace Sturdivant scored 19 points and I’yanna Sarnoff had 13 points to lead the Tornadoes.
Class 5A, District 10
Parrish Community
The Bulls pulled away in the final against the Green Devils, who were trying to win their first district title in eight years.
Ava Stoller lead St. Petersburg with 26 points.
Class 4A, District 9
Anclote
The Sharks, who are 19-7, already have more wins than their previous two seasons combined.
After starting the season 2-5, Anclote has won 17 of its last 19 games, including nine straight.
The streak remained intact thanks to a 62-53 win over Crystal River in the final. Breeana Ortega scored 27 points and Amelia Gatson added 18 in the title game.
Class 4A, District 10
Academy of the Holy Names
The Jaguars, ranked No. 8 in the class by MaxPreps, kept their momentum going by getting past Lakewood 43-36 in the final for their ninth straight win.
Grace Gavin scored a team-high 19 points and had four rebounds in the title game.
Class 3A, District 7
Seffner Christian
The Crusaders, a state title contender, extended their win streak to 13 with a 78-61 victory over Bell Creek Academy.
Eight of Seffner Christian’s victories during this stretch have been by double digits.
Class 3A, District 9
Tampa Prep
For the second time this season, the Terrapins got past Brooks DeBartolo, this time for a district title.
Despite being held to its lowest point total of the season, Tampa Prep was able to prevail 25-22 in the championship game thanks to its best defensive performance of the season.
Arianna Mosley led the Terrapins with a team-high 12 points against the Phoenix.
Class 3A, District 10
Calvary Christian
The Warriors, who entered the district tournament with a losing record, bounced back in a big way, beating Northside Christian 50-18 in the semifinals and St. Petersburg Catholic 41-21 in the final.
Against the Barons, Calvary Christian got off to a hot start, building a 25-9 lead at the half.
Class 2A, District 5
Academy at the Lakes
The Wildcats, who have their first winning season since 2017, beat nemesis Seven Rivers Christian 37-33 in the district final.
That victory avenged two earlier losses to the Warriors in the regular season.
Class 2A, District 9
Universal Academy
The Falcons, who made history with their first district title, have already equaled their win total from the last two seasons.
After going 1-6 in its final seven regular season games, Universal Academy turned things around by winning the ones that mattered most, beating Foundation Christian 36-34 in the semifinals and Cambridge Christian 29-27 in the final of the district tournament.
Mejide Balla scored a team-high 10 points in a title game.
Class 2A, District 10
Keswick Christian
The Crusaders jumped out to a 18-point lead in the first quarter and kept adding to the margin in a 61-24 win over Indian Rocks Christian in the title game.
Ava Graham led Keswick Christian with 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Two other teammates – Robyn Cantwell (13 points, five steals and four assists) and Hannah Jantomaso (10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals) – reached double figures in scoring.
