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Grandview Prep girls basketball wins regional, eyes state again
BOCA RATON – Grandview Prep players celebrated at the final buzzer on its home floor, screaming and jumping and quickly moving toward a large box filled with regional championship T-shirts.
The players quickly placed them on, celebrated some more, took a slew of team photos in their new gear. Star Ameera Kone, the transfer from Boca Raton High, carried a couple of players around the gym on her back.
That’s how strong Kone is and that’s how strong this Grandview Prep girls basketball team is.
The Pride used its physicality to wear down a gritty squad from Miami, Schoolhouse Prep, in a 51-40 victory to capture the 1A Regional Championship on Feb. 27.
There is joy on Spanish River Road. Grandview Prep is headed back to the Class 1A semifinals to defend its state championship.
The Pride, ranked fourth in the state with a 24-4 clip, will play its semifinal game on March5 vying for its fourth-ever state title (2016, 2017, 2025).
“It’s my first time, so it’s pretty great,’’ said Kone, who lost last season in a regional quarterfinal with Boca High in a different class. “I’m really excited. I’m glad to do it with one of the best coaches of all time. The best teammates I can ever ask for. I’m so happy to be here.’’
A junior power forward who has not committed yet, Kone didn’t shoot too well from the outside Friday, but was bullish inside, finished with 12 points and triggered a number of fastbreaks with her open-court speed.
“We are more physical than them so we knew we could get 'The Dub',” Kone said.
Grandview dominated in the interior with touted senior point guard Jaslyn Green bulling her way for 13 points (5 free throws) and reaching the 2,000-point career mark.
And unheralded senior center Seanna Crooks put forth a phenomenal game with a team-high 14 points and 10 rebounds.
“Last year I lost in the state championship game,’’ said Green, who transferred to the Boca prep school from American Heritage Plantation. “It’s amazing to get there and I’m ready to win states in my last year. It’s a lot of different emotions but I’m so happy with all the hard work we put in this season. It’s all coming together."
Crooks, a senior still is choosing her college, was a 6-foot wrecking ball in the low post.
“We knew we had a decided advantage with our size,’’ Grandview Prep coach Jeff Price said. “Seanna did a really nice job. And we did a good job getting her the ball. She’s a strong kid.’’
“It feels great - I love this team, love the coach,’’ said Crooks, a member of last season’s title team. “The energy is good on this team. I think the key was playing hard because they are scrappy and fast. But I felt they were a little too small.’’
The Wolfpack, ranked 21st in the state, got off to a surprisingly stout start. The Miami visitors took a 5-0 lead as Grandview missed its first four shots.
Grandview Prep then trailed 15-9 after a second 3-pointer by Wolfpack’s Lya Gonzalez. But Grandview rumbled back, with Crooks playing well inside, Krone and Green pushing the pace and the team playing suffocating defense.
A turning point came in the final seconds of the first quarter. Miami’s Valentin Peraza stole the ball from Kone and made a layup with 8 seconds to go for a 17-15 Wolfpack lead.
But Green wouldn’t let the quarter end badly. With 1 second left, Green barreled inside for a basket to tie the score at 17 after the first period while notching her historic 2,000th point in her high school career.
“It’s so humbling to reach 2000 points in my last home game – it’s a great feeling,’’ said Green, who picked up her third foul in the second quarter but played through it smartly.
The slow start could be attributed to the Pride having such a soft time in the first two regional games, including a ridiculous 101-14 laugher (not a typo) in the regional semifinals against Sheridan Hills Christian.
“The first two games were concerning to me because it was hard to get us prepared for this game,’’ said Price, the former Lynn University coach. “We did a good job staying focused at practice the last two weeks.”
Indeed, players talked about going over Schoolhouse Prep’s plays as long as three weeks ago, anticipating this matchup.
“We started slow - to the (Wolfpack’s) credit,’’ Price said. “But we settled down and got the ball inside like we needed to and got better on the defensive end. Eventually the better team prevailed.’’
The beauty of the Pride is it gets contributions from all corners. In the second quarter, the score was knotted at 21-21 when scrappy Jackie Hughes fought into the lane, made a runner, was fouled and gyrated madly.
Hughes’ 3-point play gave Grandview a 24-21 and the Pride led the rest of the way – even if the Miami school got within 4 entering the fourth quarter.
Grandview held a 33-23 bulge with 5:30 left in the third after Crooks scored on a terrific reverse layup. The Pride got up by 11 before Schoolhouse Prep battled back to 37-33 after three.
Grandview opened up the lead again after Kone missed inside, got her own rebound, was fouled and made the pair. That was followed by a huge corner 3-pointer by reserve Jada Burns, opening a 9-point lead.
The final fourth-quarter crusher came after Victoria Valle missed the second of her two free throws with 1:16 left and Crooks grabbed the offensive rebound and laid it in to make it 49-38. And soon, there was on-court jubilation for the blue and white.
“I think we have 100 percent chance to win states,’’ Crooks said.
Afterward, Kone’s smile was as wide as Town Center Mall.
“I’m excited to go (to Lakeland),’’ Kone said. “We have a great chance of winning if we stay together and do what we do best. I love every single one of my teammates. I’m genuinely blessed to be here.’’
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Grandview Prep girls basketball wins regional championship