Headed to Lakeland

At Tuesday night's Class 1A regional final in Port St. Joe, the Lady Tiger Sharks didn't allow Chipley to score until less than two minutes were left in the first quarter.

That was when Lady Tiger Kaleyah Watson nailed a three-pointer, but that would be all for her team that quarter.

With a 13-point cushion, 16-3 going into the second quarter, Kenny Parker's squad played solid basketball the rest of the way, en route to a 31-15 halftime lead,  53-24 bulge after three quarters and a brief running clock with three minutes left in the game.

In the end it would be a 62-30 win, led by a game-high 23-point performance by junior Mimi Larry, and 13 points from sophomore Jae Lenox.

Freshman Zhyion Quinn added 12, sophomore Mari Johnson 10, and two each by freshman India Gant and junior Shadavia Hudgins, to account for the easy win.

The win sets the stage for a return trip to the Class 1A  Final Four in Lakeland next week, where the Lady Tiger Sharks will have a chance to avenge the one-point loss they endured in last year's finals against Hawthorne.

On Wednesday, Feb 24 at 6 p.m. in Lakeland, they'll take on the 20-2 Ponce De Leon Lady Pirates, a 72-32 winner over Paxton Tuesday night.

The second game will feature the 19-4 Hawthorne Lady Hornets, who beat Wildwood 47-29 Tuesday night, against the 23-4 Trenton Lady Tigers, who beat Branford 58-44 Tuesday night.

To view the semifinals, visit www.nfhsnetwork.com/

The championship game would be Friday at 7 p.m. 

This article originally appeared on The Star: Headed to Lakeland