Somerset Prep girls’ basketball dons hard hats, then cruises back to state championship
In addition to being active in the South Florida basketball community, JR McNabb is also in the construction business and a memory from one of his first days on the job still sticks in his brain. He showed up on whatever job site he was supposed to be at on one of those first days and forgot to bring his hard hat. His boss told him to go home.
“He said I wasn’t ready to work,” McNabb said Monday in Lakeland.
It gave the coach an idea for Somerset Prep as his team got ready to face Orlando Christian Prep in the Class 3A semifinals Monday in at the RP Funding Center. Before the game, McNabb surprised the six players who comprise his roster by handing out matching yellow hard hats, which they all wore as they walked out on to the George W. Jenkins Arena court. McNabb wanted to instill a workmanlike identity in his team and it worked — the Hurricanes are headed back to the 3A championship after a 56-20 win against the Warriors in Lakeland.
“I think it’ll grow on the girls,” McNabb said after the win, “just being mentally ready, always having their hard hat, always ready to put in work and leave it out on the court.”
Somerset Prep, which spent much of the season playing with only five varsity players due to injury, never had much trouble with Orlando Christian Prep. With their blend of skill and athleticism, the Hurricanes (12-10) built a double-digit lead in less than six minutes despite a sloppy start of their own on the offensive end.
Somerset Prep shot only 37.5 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from three-point range — and even missed half their free-throw attempts — in the opening quarter. Only guard Kourtnee Gilbert made multiple shots for the always-shorthanded Hurricanes.
It didn’t matter. Against Somerset Prep’s length and athleticism, the Warriors (16-12) could muster even less. In the first quarter alone, the Hurricanes grabbed nine steals and blocked four shots on the way to a 16-3 lead. By halftime, Somerset Prep had 12 steals and six blocks, and led 34-7. A year after beating Orlando Christian Prep by 36 in the state championship, the Hurricanes put together a similar performance against the same opponent, just a round earlier.
“I kind of expected it. It was the same way last year in our first game. We were a little sloppy, you know nerves and just the excitement of playing, and sitting around all day,” McNabb said. “We didn’t shoot the ball fairly. We normally shoot the ball pretty well. I’m hoping and I’m thinking we’ll shoot the ball a little better tomorrow.”
This year, Somerset Prep will need to win one more game to bring a second 3A championship back to North Lauderdale. The Hurricanes advance to face Fort Myers Canterbury at 7 p.m. on Tuesday back at Jenkins Arena. Canterbury (23-4) fended off Tallahassee Florida A&M, 48-39, earlier Monday to secure its spot in the 3A title game.
And Somerset Prep will take the court for its title defense coming off a complete effort. Even with the sloppy first quarter, the Hurricanes finished at 47.8 percent from the field. They scored 34 points in the paint and 33 points off 29 Warrior turnovers. Point guard Michiya Simmons led the way for Somerset Prep with 17 points and six steals on 8-of-12 shooting, and Gilbert added 13 with five steals, making 3 of 8 from three-point range.
Both those guards — along with wings Mya Kone and Zaria Blake, who scored 12 — are only freshmen. On Tuesday, Simmons, Kone and Blake, all of whom were on the team last year, will have a chance to win their second state championship.
This story was originally published February 25, 2019 at 9:15 PM.
