Déjà Vu: Hawthorne Girls Basketball Wins Back-to-Back State Championships

LAKELAND — The four-seeded Hawthorne High girls basketball team defeated the three-seed Graceville Tigers 43-40 Saturday to repeat as the 1A state champions at the RP Funding Center.

Hawthorne (22-3), winner of 19 consecutive games, has now won three state titles in the past five seasons.

Sloppy First Quarter

An uncharacteristic first quarter saw both sides slow to put points on the board. Midway through the quarter, the score was stuck at 3-2, in favor of Graceville (24-3).

Much of the quarter saw Hawthorne get open looks underneath the basket, which resulted in misses. Much of this was attributed to nerves, Hawthorne coach Cornelius Ingram said.

“It’s a part of the game,“ Ingram said of his team’s nerves. “You have to work through those jitters.”

Graceville ended the quarter with a slim 5-4 lead.

Graceville Goes On A Run

The second quarter saw Graceville begin to convert chances. The Tigers went on a 9-1 run in the quarter, to break open the game.

The Tigers used steal opportunities to create good looks, which they converted. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Graceville’s Aarshunni Curry and Charity “Miah” Fountain lifted Graceville to an 18-9 lead going into halftime.

Back-And-Forth Third Quarter

Hawthorne came out on a 6-0 run to open the half. A converted and-1 by De’Mya Adams closed the Hawthorne deficit to three points.

The remainder of the quarter saw the sides trade layups. Graceville entered the fourth quarter in a position to win a state title with a 27-22 lead.

Hawthorne Storms Back

Just as they experienced in the state semifinals, the Hornets entered the fourth quarter facing a deficit. Hawthorne opened the quarter on a 5-0 run, with a converted and-1 by Lakijah Brown playing a crucial role. Hawthorne tied the game at 27 apiece after the first two minutes of the quarter.

The mentality that Hawthorne used during its previous game was employed against Graceville.

“Cut it in half” was once again the instruction used by Ingram to get his team to cut down the Graceville lead in the fourth quarter.

After trading buckets, Hawthorne went on a 6-0 run, with five points coming from guard De’Mya Adams, who finished the quarter with a team-high 11 points. A 3-pointer made by Adams midway through the quarter lifted Hawthorne to a four-point lead.

State Champions

Late into the quarter, Graceville began intentionally fouling Hawthorne to get the Hornets to the foul line. Hawthorne showed resolve at the free-throw line, converting its opportunities.

A 3-point shot by Graceville’s Brianna Adams cut the Hawthorne lead to two with 11 seconds remaining. After an intentional foul, Adams converted a key free throw to bring the Hornets’ lead up to three.

A Hail-Mary attempt for a 3-pointer to take the game to overtime by Graceville fell short at the buzzer.

Hawthorne outscored Graceville 22-13 in the final quarter to earn the win.

“I’m happy for our community, I’m happy for our school,” Ingram said. “Everyone plays a part in this.”

Ingram, a standout tight end when he played with the Florida Gators, added to his legend status at his alma mater Hawthorne by winning his second consecutive state title in girls basketball after winning back-to-back state football titles as Hornets coach.