MAYO, Fla. — Excellent 3-point shooting and a standout performance from junior Khari Jackson led Lafayette to a blowout win against Hilliard in Thursday’s regional semifinal. 

Jackson, a transfer playing in her first postseason game, scored 19 points and made three 3-pointers in Lafayette’s 60-26 victory. 

With Hilliard hanging around in the second quarter — down 22-11 with 3:45 left — the Hornets went on a 7-0 run to pull away. LHS continued to stretch its lead and dominated the rest of the way. 

“We got on a roll there when we started to run, create some pressure,” said Hornets coach Jimmy Blankenship. “We have to play that way. We’re not going to control a ballgame by sitting back and let people dictate it.”

Jasmine Lewis (14 points, seven assists, four steals) sparked the second-quarter run, finding her teammates for open shots and pushing the tempo of the game.  

Box score

Jackson 19, Lewis 14, Coverson 12, Ellefson 9, Fleming 2, Lyons 2, Rosenbaum 2

Kymeisha Coverson also had a big first half, connecting on four 3-pointers and also picking up three steals. LHS made seven 3’s in the game.  

Jackson began the third quarter with seven quick points. She ended up scoring 12 of the Hornets’ 17 points in the period.

Haley Ellefson finished with nine points and five rebounds.  

Lafayette (20-7) has won five straight games and will face Hawthorne on Tuesday in a regional final.  

“It gets harder and harder now,” Blankenship said. “We’ve got to be ready, we’ve got to be better this next game. 

“Hawthorne is kind of the unknown. We don’t know much about them, but we’ll find out. We’ll watch some film and try to get better.”