Heritage girls’ basketball routs Norland to advance to ninth consecutive regional final
Around this time last year, American Heritage girls’ basketball was experiencing heartbreak.
The Patriots, winners of the previous five consecutive state championships, were looking for a record sixth title — and fell one point short to champion Daytona Beach Mainland.
But top-seeded Heritage moved one step closer to reclaiming its crown after a dominant 61-21 victory over fifth-seeded Miami Norland in the Region 4-5A semifinals on Monday night at American Heritage. Junior Dezuray McGill led the charge with a game-high 15 points, and sophomore guard Jasleen Green was right behind with 14 points.
Heritage continues its quest for a state championship on Thursday at 7 p.m. when it hosts No. 2 Lincoln Park Academy, which defeated No. 3 Boynton Beach 66-41 on Monday night.
Jasmine Johnson paced Norland, which didn’t score a field goal until midway through the second quarter, with nine points.
Defense, however, was the key to the game. The Patriots came out in a full-court press, forced countless turnovers and held a 28-4 lead at the end of the first quarter, then a 42-11 halftime advantage. If Heritage wins another title this year, head coach Greg Farias says it will be because of their defense.
“It’s been a focus,” Farias said of winning the state championship this season. “We’re at American Heritage, and my last eight years here, we’ve gone six times [to the state finals]. The expectation is there, and we fell short for the first time after five years of winning it in a row. It’s been tough, but our mentality has been one game at a time, especially on the defensive side. We have to play defense the way we used to in the past.”
The Patriots had defensive issues last year, according to Farias, who cited missed assignments and a lack of team effort as the main problems. But past issues are being corrected in practice, which Green says begins with defense for “probably an hour.” Then the team works on plays and offense.
As a result, Heritage has just six losses on the year and has won 12 of its past 14 games heading into the final few weeks of the season. They’ve improved in multiple areas.
“We have way more assists than last year by times 10,” Green said. “We’re playing more as a team; we’re trusting each other. We trust the coach, so we’re just looking good all together.”
Farias agreed: “Right now, we’re gelling at a good time. I feel the chemistry; you can see it by how many assists we have per game … We’re going up, and that’s what I like to do at the end of the year is that now we’re starting to get our gel and starting to groove, so that’s really important.”
MORE RESULTS
▪ Region 4-7A semifinal - Doral Academy 85, Davie Western 82 (2OT): The Firebirds trailed in the closing seconds of regulation and in each overtime period before prevailing to clinch their first berth in a regional final since 2017 and second overall. Doral will host Boca Raton on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the regional final.
▪ Region 4-7A semifinal - Boca Raton 56, Miami High 47: The Stingarees (19-10) trailed by 19 at halftime before cutting the deficit to two at the end of the quarter. But the game slipped away in the fourth as the Bobcats snapped Miami High’s streak of six consecutive seasons advancing to the state final four in Lakeland.
▪ Region 4-4A semifinal: Somerset Canyons 58, Cardinal Gibbons 56
▪ Region 4-3A semifinals: Miami Country Day 78, Carrollton 30; Somerset Prep 58, Westminster Academy 39.
▪ Region 4-2A semifinal: Miami Christian 62, Merritt Island Christian 48.