Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 3-8-19

Feature
First State Win In School’s History:
Tampa Bay Tech Girls’ Basketball Team Wins Class 8A State Championship
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
First Public High School Girls’ Team To Win In 31 Years
It was pandemonium and excitement last Saturday af- ternoon (March 2nd) when the girls’ basketball team of Tampa Bay Tech High School won the 8-A State Championship. The Titan girls had to go into overtime to win the game, 58-52, against the Ft. Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, at the R. P. Funding Center, in Lakeland.
With seconds left in reg- ulation, the Titans tied the game with 1 of 2 free throws, 48-48, sending the game into overtime.
This State Championship win for the girls is the first in the school’s 50-year history for girls or boys in basket- ball. Last year’s girls’ team was the first in school’s his- tory to go to the State. How- ever, the team lost 46-41 in the State semi-finals to Ft. Lauderdale Nova.
The last girls’ team in Hillsborough County Public School System to win a State Championship was King High that won in 1988.
Titans head basketball coach, Reginald (Reggie) Lawrence said the win was “definitely an exciting mo- ment, especially having a starting lineup of 3 Sopho-
Tampa Bay Tech Girls Head Basketball Coach, Reginald Lawrence, left, is all smiles as his team hoists the Class 8A State Championship trophy up high. (Photo courtesy of The Lakeland Ledger)
mores and 2 Freshmen. With young kids you never know how they’re going to react in certain situations. But this group was deter- mined from the first day of school.
“However, it was defi- nitely a challenging season, playing the likes of 3-time defending champs, Winter Haven, and 6-time Champs,
Miami Country Day, and playing in tournaments and shootouts throughout the year. This group got better and better with each game,” he said.
Lawrence, who is the Student Success Coach and Senior Class Sponsor at Tech, added that, “our start- ing 5 are all getting recruited by major colleges and uni-
versities throughout the United States. Our non- starters played a vital role throughout the season as well. It was an overall great effort this season by each and every one of these young
ladies.”
The team finished the
season with a school record, 29-3. The three losses com- bined for 14 points. Lawrence has coached the Tech Girls’ team for 10 years.
Members of the 2019 State Class 8A Championship team are, back row: (L to R): Cherokee Patterson, Shannon Lise, Laila Duffey, Kristen Sylvester and Amiya Evans. Second row: Jayla Murray, Eriyana Saffold, Janiah Barker, and Jayde Johnson.
Sitting, in front, K’Nisha Godfrey and Jasmine Peaks. (Photo- graph courtesy of The Lakeland Ledger)
FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-A