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The Gainesville High School Hurricanes girls basketball team secured its spot in the 5A State Championship after an upset win in the state semifinals. The Hurricanes (17-8) will compete for the title 5 p.m. Friday against New Smyrna Beach (26-5) at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
Semifinal Fight
On Wednesday night, the No. 3 seeded GHS Hurricanes faced the No. 2 seeded Northeast Hurricanes (28-3). This game was GHS’ second trip to the Final Four, the last time being 1987. Despite this, they did not let down, as they led the game the entire time. Senior guard Jamison Cardwell led the team in scoring with 15 points, and senior guard Jayden Terry followed with 14 points. Gainesville claimed the 54-52 underdog victory against Northeast to advance.
— GHS Basketball (@CanesBKB) March 5, 2025
State Championship Preview
No. 1 seeded New Smyrna Beach advanced to the championship after a 56-47 win over No. 4 Clearwater (18-10). This will be the first time in program history that the Barracudas will play in the championship. The Hurricanes have won two state titles previously in 1921 and 1923, but this was when girls basketball was played on a half court and 3-0n-3. Both teams will battle it out to bring home their first modern championship title.
