Games out of State and successful FHSAA state tournament appearances in recent years aided Lake Highland Prep’s ascent to the national stage.
The Highlanders are among four girls teams taking part in GEICO Nationals this weekend at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers.
“We all know how it feels to be playing in front of a lot of people. It’s all prepared us for the pressure of being on a national stage,” LHP senior Kayla Blackshear said. “It means a lot to our program, and for me as a senior, to be able to compete in this tournament.”
Second-seeded Lake Highland (19-0) faces No. 3 Paul VI (10-0) of Chantilly, Va., Friday at 10:30 a.m. ESPNU will broadcast the game. The winner advances to the championship game against Atlanta Westlake (20-0) or Utah’s Plant City Fremont (26-0) Saturday at 10 a.m. on ESPN2.
Montverde Academy, the No. 1 seed in the 10-team boys basketball field, won its first game Thursday afternoon and will play a semifinal Friday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
Lake Highland is the fourth area school and seventh area girls team to participate in the tournament. Dr. Phillips won GEICO Nationals titles in 2011 and 2013 and was runner-up in 2012. Edgewater lost semifinal games in 2012 and 2014.
Lake Mary was the first Florida girls team to participate in 2010, during the second year of the tournament. Florida teams have won five times, including DP’s two titles. Miami Country Day (2015, 2017) and Jacksonville Ribault (2016) also won the invitational.
The tournament hasn’t always had the top-rated teams in the country because only a handful of state associations allow their member schools to participate. This year’s field does feature highly ranked teams in a year where a number of states were not able to tip off their basketball seasons on schedule due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Westlake is the No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament. The Lions are led by two seniors — South Carolina signee Raven Johnson (No. 2) and Virginia Tech signee Brianna Turnage (No. 61) — who rank among the Top 100 in the ESPN HoopGurlz recruiting rankings.
Fourth-seeded Fremont is just as deep in talent. Senior Emma Calvert is a BYU signee ranked No. 74 in the nation. Oregon State commit Timea Gardiner ranks No. 4 among the Class of 2022 and Maggie Mendelson ranks No. 21 in the Class of 2023.
Each team offers a distinct challenge for the Highlanders, who enter the national tournament on a 35-game win streak over the past two seasons. Lake Highland has won 48 of 50 games since losing in a 2019 state final, claimed back-to-back Class 4A state titles and reached FHSAA championship games each of the past four years.
“Paul VI is a good program. Every year they produce top kids and they run their stuff well,” LHP coach Al Honor said. “All four teams have different styles of play. I’m hoping that it’s going to be a good thing for us because we normally can play any style of basketball.”
Lake Highland was invited to GEICO Nationals in New York last year before the event was called off due to COVID-19. And while the Highlanders are grateful for the chance to compete for a national title for the very first time, intense training sessions throughout the month of March served as a reminder of what’s at stake.
“We’ve just been making sure that we’re on our Ps and Qs,” said Blackshear. “It means a lot for me to be able to go to nationals and be around my teammates a little bit longer in my last year. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Blackshear, the lone senior at Lake Highland, is moving on to Alabama as the 75th-ranked senior, according to HoopGurlz. Louisville commit Nyla Harris ranks No. 11 in the Class of 2022 and Lexi Blue is on the freshman watch list.
Nationally televised games this week will offer others on the roster a chance to be seen by college coaches, who would otherwise be keeping tabs on prospects competing on the travel-ball circuit.
“With the NCAA dead period shutting [recruiting] down until at least May 31, here’s an opportunity where our kids get to play against some of the top high schools in the country, and on top of that you’re playing on ESPN,” Honor said. “There’s nothing that’s bigger than this right now.”
Honor, in his 10th season with the program, led Lake Highland to back-to-back state titles for the first time in 2015 and 2016 and has made appearances in championship games in six of the past seven seasons. He was named Naismith national girls basketball high school coach of the year before finishing second in Florida Dairy Farmers coach-of-the-year voting earlier this month.
“It feels a little bit different this week,” Honor said with a laugh. “I’m just trying to keep my composure and keep myself a little grounded to make sure the girls are prepped and ready to go. It’s all really been a blessing.”
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
