LAKELAND, Fla. – Bishop Kenny’s quest for girls basketball history came up one victory short.
The Crusaders couldn’t overcome a slow start and fell 58-40 to Plantation American Heritage in the Class 6A state championship on Thursday night at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
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There were no regrets though.
Kenny (29-3) hadn’t been to a state title game since March 7, 1992 when it beat Tavares for the last of its three consecutive state championships. The Crusaders returned to the state tournament for the first time this year and won a 49-48 thriller over Bradenton Southeast in Wednesday’s semifinal to get a shot at a championship.
“I know the tears are coming because it’s just finally a realization that this has come to an end, but we’ve pushed this thing as far as we possibly could," said Kenny coach Charlsea Clark. "We broke history. We’re a state runner-up, I mean come on, I’m going to hold my head up high on that and our girls are tremendous. They’re super coachable. And you got to just be realistic. I’ve been in sports since I was 5 years old and you got to always credit the big dog. Those guys, [Heritage] man they deserved this.”
It wasn't meant to be against Heritage (21-9), which defended its state championship with a wire-to-wire clinic. Kenny trailed by as many as 16 in the opening quarter as it never solved the Patriots and their pressing defense. That made it a forgettable night for the Crusaders, who have thrived by being able to play fundamental basketball and shoot the 3.
Heritage never allowed Kenny to get comfortable, forcing the Crusaders to speed up their tempo and be uncomfortable when they had looks.
While the Crusaders had a brief surge before halftime, getting to within 24-15 on a free throw by Jasmyne Roberts, that momentum evaporated quickly. The Patriots had 30 points off of Kenny turnovers in the game.
Loss aside, Kenny's future looks bright. Roberts, who finished with 19 points, is only a sophomore. Maddie Millar, who had five points, is a freshman.
Basketball state championships for area girls private school programs remain a difficult one to ring in. Ever since Kenny’s final title in 1992, just one local private school, Shekinah Christian in 2006, has won a girls basketball FHSAA state championship.
Heritage knocked off another local program, Ponte Vedra, 59-33 to win last year’s title.
“At the end of the day you got to just be realistic, that team is the better team,” Clark said. "They deserved this. They won last year, an amazing coaching staff. At the end of the day, we’ve usually been able to outshoot teams that are bigger than us and kind of been able to muscle with them inside.”