Defense, 3 pointers keep American Heritage girls’ basketball’s title defense hopes alive

For defending Class 6A girls’ basketball state champion Plantation American Heritage, Tuesday was no cakewalk.

But in the end, plenty of defense and the ability connect on 10 three-pointers was enough as the host Patriots defeated Lincoln Park (Fort Pierce) 55-41 in a Region 4-6A Semifinal.

Heritage (18-9) will host Bishop Moore in a regional final on Friday at 7 p.m. The Greyhounds season ended at 24-5.

“We struggled a little bit because they were packing the inside,” said Heritage coach Greg Farias. “We had to pressure and play really good defense and once we got in rhythm, we played much better.”

Then it was the three-ball that gave the Patriots the separation they needed to prevail.

Aaliyah Booker was a big part of the Patriots offense in the fourth quarter, sinking three 3-point attempts to help build a double-digit lead.

From there, 6-0 senior forward Paris Sharpe got open looks underneath the basket, scoring nine of her 13 points in the final quarter.

“Our strength of schedule prepared us for this,” Farias said. “We played in two national tournaments and that helped build out character.”

The Patriots lost five consecutive games in late December to some of the top teams in the country. Since a Jan. 9 loss to Dillard, Heritage has won nine of 10 games prior to playing Lincoln Park. In the nine wins the Patriots margin of victory was 36.7 points. The only setback during that stretch was a 64-44 loss to Miami Country Day, the nation’s No. 1 ranked team.

It was a struggle from both sides to create a sizable lead.

Yes, the Greyhounds opened with an 10-2 lead early in the first quarter, only to see it evaporate as Heritage would take a 25-21 into the break.

The Patriots used three 3-pointers, two by Jenna Laue and another by Aronsky in the second quarter.

Taliyah Wyche led the Patriots with 15 points. Aronsky and Booker each had nine points.

More regional results

Class 9A semifinals: Deerfield Beach d. Coral Springs 44-35; Miami High d. Miramar 55-38; Lourdes d. Southridge 55-40.

Class 8A semifinals: St. Thomas Aquinas d. Blanche Ely 72-52; Nova d. South Broward 54-26.

Class 7A semifinals: Dillard d. Palm Bay Heritage 66-40; Norland d. Central 68-51.

Class 5A semifinals: University School d. Pine Crest 59-50; Keys Gate d. Gulliver Prep 51-43.

Class 4A finals: Miami Country Day d. Westminster Academy 68-36; SLAM d. Palmer Trinity 65-31.

Class 3A finals: Somerset Prep d. Lake Worth Christian 62-29.

Class 2A finals: Miami Christian d. Grandview Prep 52-51.