Final Four bound: Lafayette girls advance to Lakeland

Published 9:11 am Wednesday, February 21, 2018

MAYO, Fla. — The Lafayette girls basketball team is back in the Final Four.

The Hornets will make the trip to Lakeland for the second straight year after a 56-38 win against Hawthorne on Tuesday in a regional final. 

Box score

Jackson 22, Ellefson 12, Coverson 8, Massey 8, Lewis 6

“This is the fifth one (Final Four) for Mayo,” said LHS coach Jimmy Blankenship. “These were little girls when our first team did it. They’ve carried on the tradition of playing hard and playing the type of basketball we can be proud of.”

Following a blowout win in their first playoff game, the Hornets used a similar formula on Tuesday against HHS — breaking away in the second quarter and riding the hot shooting of Khari Jackson. LHS outscored Hawthorne 24-7 in the second. 

After posting a season-high 19 points in a regional semifinal, Jackson topped that by scoring 22. Jackson, a transfer from Taylor County in her first season at Lafayette, made four 3-pointers.  

“This is what I always imagined,” said Jackson. “Going to state for the first time — it feels real good.”

Haley Ellefson had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven blocked shots for Lafayette (21-7). With Ellefson’s length causing problems inside, Jasmine Lewis (six points, seven assists, 10 rebounds) controlling the boards, and Lafayette playing a hounding box-and-one defense, Hawthorne (13-9) struggled offensively after the first quarter.

“Getting to this point is what we’ve dreamed about,” said Lewis. “We’ve practiced and worked hard together as a team. I feel like it really paid off tonight to send us back to the Final Four.”

Lafayette will face defending state champ Wildwood on Monday with a spot in Tuesday’s state championship on the line. Wildwood defeated Lafayette 50-42 in an earlier matchup this season.