North Florida Educational battled early but couldn’t keep pace in the Class 1A girls basketball state championship game on Thursday night.
Grandview Prep stepped up the pace in the second half and pulled away from the Eagles for a 69-58 win at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. NFEI was making its first appearance in the state tournament. The Eagles won their semifinal game on Tuesday but couldn’t keep up with the Pride in their championship debut.
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Lena Girardi, an Oklahoma State signee and four-star guard, was dominant again in a double-double effort. She had 35 points and 24 rebounds. Jannell Houston led NFEI with 24 points, followed by Jorrdann Sibley with 15.
NFEI was in a battle throughout the opening half, trailing just 33-26 at the break. But Grandview Prep started the second half on a tear, a 9-0 run and eventually stretched its lead to 20.
For NFEI, reaching the final stage was a massive accomplishment. The Eagles lost in the regional finals to UC last year on what amounted to a walk-off 3-pointer. New coach Tony Bannister and his daughter, Antoinette, took NFEI from never having gone past the regional round to the state title game. Tony Bannister last reached the state title game as head coach in 2006 with Shekinah Christian.
