Even short-handed, Miami Country Day cruises into ninth state title game in 11 years
Miami Country Day was finally back in Lakeland on Wednesday and it was like the Spartans had never left.
After its nine-year streak of final four appearances was snapped last season, Miami Country Day returned to the Class 3A semifinals after a one-year hiatus and the Spartans were as dominant as ever. Miami Country Day never trailed and blew out Jacksonville Providence School, 58-33, to reach its ninth state title game in 11 years.
“It’s great to be back,” star point guard Kristina Godfrey said. “I missed it last year.”
On Saturday, the Spartans will go for their eighth state title — they also won six in a row from 2014-2019 and a seventh in 2021 — when they face Sarasota Cardinal Mooney back at the RP Funding Center. Even on this long list of state titles, another this weekend would qualify as one of Miami Country Day’s most impressive.
Last year, injuries piled up at the wrong time and the Spartans lost in the region championship for the first time since 2012, helping pave the way for Westminster Academy to win its first state title since 1991. Miami Country Day has injuries again, but didn’t just survive to beat Westminster in the Region 4-3A championship last week. The Spartans (24-7) also pummeled Providence School (22-6) in its first game back inside George Jenkins Arena since 2021.
“It sucks,” coach Ochiel Swaby said, reflecting on last year, “but I don’t take it for granted that we’ve been fortunate to be good enough to be here so often. ... A lot of things have to go your way in order to get here.”
Last month, one of those potentially costly breaks went against Miami Country Day. Junior wing Kayla Nelms, who leads the Spartans with 17.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, injured her hand and left the Spartans in search of a new identity. Miami Country Day then lost in the District 14-3A championship before rattling off four straight wins to get back to the 3A title game.
Its latest victory was never in doubt. The Spartans raced out to an 8-0 lead, led 20-4 by the end of the first quarter and were in control, up 37-13, at halftime. Even with Nelms hurt and star wing Naveyah Damon having missed the entire season with an injury, Miami Country Day never faced a serious challenge from Providence School.
The rout began in the very first second. Power forward Aicha Keita won the opening tip for the Spartans and tapped the ball forward to Godfrey, who beat everyone to the rim for an uncontested layup. Godfrey, who signed with the FAU Owls last year, led the Spartans with 15 points, nearly doubling her season average to help fill the void left by Nelms.
Godfrey, who’s primarily a facilitator, didn’t let her playmaking suffer, though. The senior guard also added five assists and six steals, and made it possible for a slew of role players to emerge in Nelms’ absence.
Eighth-grade guard Jalynn Belton added 14 points and 11 rebounds. Shooting guard Sofia Mendez scored nine points and hit a pair of three-pointers in the first few minutes to help break open the Spartans’ big lead. Miami Country Day shot 51.1 percent from the field and went 7 of 21 from three-point range, including 4 of 8 in the first half.
“We’ve kind of created a new identity,” Godfrey said. “We’re getting more open looks for shooters and everyone’s just getting a good amount of shots in.”
It has the Spartans on the verge of completing a decade of dominance: They’re one win away from an eighth Florida High School Athletic Association championship in 10 years. Only two schools have more.
“I just like playing the last day of the season,” Swaby said. “That’s something we take pride in.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 12:19 PM.
