Hawthorne Girls Basketball Takes on Wildwood in State Semifinal

The Hawthorne High School Hornets (20-3) will take on the Wildwood Wildcats (19-3) in the girls basketball state playoffs. Tip-off is at 3 tomorrow afternoon in Lakeland.

How They Got to the State Playoffs

Hawthorne is coming off a 55-42 win over Madison County, but it did not come without adversity. Head Coach Cornelius Ingram said they were missing their starting shooting guard, and a key piece off the bench for this game.

Ingram put the spotlight on a player he normally does not get to talk about by mentioning she had a great game against Madison County.

Senior center Ranicia Coleman had 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Madison County. Ingram praised her by saying she is a very underrated piece on this Hawthorne team. Ingram highlighted that this was a career game for Coleman.

Scouting the Wildcats

Ingram said they have familiarity with the Wildcats.

With Wildwood being the top-ranked team in 1-A basketball, this will not be an easy opponent for the Hornets.

Hawthorne used the time off to get their injured players back and healthy in time for this game, which has been a benefit of the lengthy time off. Ingram said they have familiarity with the Wildcats, and that they are the team you think of when talking about 1-A girls basketball.

Players to Watch on Hawthorne

Junior guard De’Mya Adams and junior forward Jhalea Jackson are two players to watch for in this game.

Adams is the leading scorer for the Hornets, averaging 16.2 points a game. On the other hand, Jackson leads the team in the majority of defensive categories.

Experience of the Team

Experience is something that will help the Hornets in this game. Ingram’s entire starting five this year were all members on the team last year, and they contributed.

He highlighted that even though this is a big game, he trusts the girls on his team to be composed because of their experience.