SLAM girls’ basketball dominates, advances to state for first time since 2019
When the final buzzer sounded, the scene at SLAM High School erupted.
Students rushed the court, players embraced, tears were shed and no one could hear a thing.
That’s what happens when, after three years of losing in regionals, you finally break through. Now, top-seeded SLAM is headed to the state semifinals for the first time since 2019 after a dominant 84-55 victory over second-seeded Boynton Beach Somerset Canyons on Thursday night.
The Titans (23-3) will face Jacksonville Bishop Kenny on Thursday, Feb. 29 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
“Our girls just came different this year,” SLAM coach Krystal Cabrera said. “We were more seasoned, we were more experienced, we were more mature. They just were present and took over the moment, and it was just breathtaking to see it all come together. People make dreams and you never know if it’s going to come to life. Watching it come to life was surreal.”
The Titans won thanks to a total team effort, with three starters scoring in double figures. Junior Jim’miyah Branton, who had 21 points in the regional semifinals against Monsignor Pace, scored a game-high 27 points. Guard Samantha Bautista had 19 points, and senior Samantha Vales netted 16.
It was no surprise that Branton was the first to cut the net following the game.
“I just tried going to the basket and getting into them, so I could get my fouls and And-1s and get everybody excited,” Branton said of her offensive performance.
Heading into the game, SLAM had all the momentum. The Titans hadn’t lost since Jan. 5 — when American Heritage beat them by one point — winning 12 straight games and 22 of its past 23. But Somerset was riding a 13-game winning streak of its own, and showed fight in a six-point loss to the Titans back in December.
Both teams traded baskets early on, setting the stage for an even match, until five consecutive points gave SLAM a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter. Branton gave the Titans their first double-digit lead in the second quarter, and that advantage grew to 38-25 by halftime.
Then SLAM used a 13-1 run after the break to go up 25 points, capped by back-to-back three-pointers by Branton and forward Amanda Fogler, who finished with six points. The Titans led by as many as 31 in the fourth quarter before the clock ran out.
“We decided that we were not going home today,” Cabrera said. “Having that earlier game in the season [against Somerset] helped us be familiar with this team and know their tendencies and, ultimately, it helped us with our strategy for today.”
From the beginning of the year, when SLAM dropped its first two games of the season, to now, Cabrera says the Titans’ improvement is due to teamwork. They’ll hope that’s enough to give them their first state championship in team history.