Last night, two of the best basketball teams in the state faced off, and it did not disappoint. #24 King’s Academy (15-4) hosted the defending FHSAA Class 3A State Champions, #8 Westminster Academy (16-6) in an epic duel between two powerhouse teams in South Florida. This game was a close, nailbiter until the very end when TKA Senior, Jordan Race, pulled a clutch 3 pointer to put the Lions ahead 49-48 with 11 seconds remaining. Westminster proceeds to drive down the court, and Sophomore Markeli Jones Tynes misses the go-ahead layup, and then TKA’s Sophia Kateris (So) recovers the rebound. WA immediately fouls Kateris, stopping the clock with 2 seconds to play. Sophia Kateris knocks down both of her free throws, putting the Lions ahead 51-48. Westminster launches a pass down court, only to be intercepted by TKA’s Janessa Williams (Sr), ending the game. The TKA faithful stormed the court, celebrating the statement win with their team.
King’s Academy was led in scoring by Jordan Race (Sr) with 17 points, while Jade Jones (So) and Janessa Williams (Sr) had 10 points. Westminster was led by Lena Gerardi (So) with 27 points.
King’s Academy knows they are now considered to be one of the best teams in the state. With that being said, they are ready for any team that comes their way. Janessa Williams said that her team is prepared and ready to face the remainder of their schedule. “My girls love it, we love the competition, we love the energy, we love the work that comes with it, we love it all.”
Janessa Williams is one of the most electric players you can watch in person. She is consistently the most dominant player on the court, and she is a true leader for this Lion’s team. Williams is averaging 16.5 PPG, with 12 Rebounds per game, which has her ranked 13th and 5th in these categories for class 3A.
Another key piece to the Lions’ success is Sophomore Jade Jones. Jade Jones is averaging 13 PPG and 11 Rebounds per game. Jade is a very physical threat inside the paint, which is a nightmare for the opposing team. No matter how many people are guarding her, she always finds her way to the basket. Before the season, Jade was named to the Palm Beach County “Fab 5” team by the Sun Sentinel. This is where the top five players in the county are selected by the media.
Last season, the Lions defeated Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy to win their region and advance to the State Final Four, where they lost a close match to Cardinal Mooney in the State Semifinal. That loss to Cardinal Mooney left a bad taste in TKA’s mouth, and it helped motivate their team the entire off season. At the beginning of this season, Coach Chris Race told me “If you thought last year’s team was good, just wait until this season.” His team is certainly living up to the hype.
