Miami Country Day girls basketball adds another state title to its rich tradition
One of Kayla Nelms’ teammates made the mistake of trying to grab the state championship trophy out of her grasp.
With a mischievous grin, Nelms yanked the hardware away and kept her arms wrapped tight around it.
No one was going to take away the prize Miami Country Day and Nelms, its star forward and Baylor signee, collected Friday after her final high school game.
“It feels good to win, but I’m also gonna miss it,” Nelms said. “This is my fifth year. All of the emotions are coming out.”
Nelms’ grip on the trophy while celebrating with her teammates Friday might as well symbolize the hold that the Spartans have on being the premier dynasty in Florida girls basketball right now.
Miami Country Day moved higher on the all-time list of state championships Friday after defeating Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 75-51 in the Class 3A final at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
The Spartans (22-8) won their ninth state title with all of them coming over the past 11 seasons.
No team and state has everyone as many in such a short span.
Miami Country Day, which already owns the state’s longest consecutive title streak having won six in a row from 2014 to 2019, trails only Jacksonville Ribault (12) Fort Lauderdale Dillard (10) for the most state championships in state history.
Spartans coach Ochiel Swaby also in rarefied air.
With his ninth state title, Swaby now trails only the late great former Dillard coach Marcia Pinder (10) for the most state titles by any coach in state history.
“Each year the goal is to try and maximize the talent in the room,” Swaby said. “Next year, winning a state championship is a great ceiling for us because we’re going to be very young. Another state title would be great as long as we maximize the talent on this team, it could be reaching a regional final, and we have to be satisfied with that too.”
Nelms’ 24 points, nine rebounds and three blocks set the tone from the start for the Spartans, who led by as many as 20 points in the first half.
Cardinal Mooney, though, did not allow the game to become a runaway victory. The Cougars (22-7) intensified their full court pressure and chipped Miami Country Day’s lead to eight early in the fourth quarter.
That’s when the Spartans stepped up their own defensive pressure which sparked a 15-2 run that effectively put the game away.
“We didn’t want to give them the runs they had, but at the end of the day, it’s who comes out on top,” Morales said. “We made our mistakes and ultimately made up for it.”
The Spartans scored 32 points off 24 Cardinal Mooney turnovers.
Freshman Jalynn Belton anchored this effort with a game-high five steals while Morales had 11 points and four steals. Freshman Kori Edge had 17 points and three steals while senior Sofia Mendez added 11 points. The Spartans were also clutch at the free throw line making 13 of 14 attempts.
Nelms let her emotions out on the court after the game, hugging several teammates and coaches. Nelms, who was part of three state championships during her high school career, is one of several examples of players over the years, who have begun playing for the Spartans even before their high school years.
“This was a special group because we didn’t have no highly-acclaimed kids,” Swaby said. “Kayla stayed loyal and grinded and won three championships when she could have taken off and gone to some other program. I do appreciate the seniors, and the fact that they maximize grinded and their butts off and have been committed and done things the right way.”
If Miami Country Day’s title run is to continue, freshmen like Belton and Edge will have to continue the legacy and step into more leadership roles next season.
But that is nothing new at Miami Country Day.
“It’s about commitment. These kids are in the gym 365 days a year doing something basketball-related,” Swaby said. “We do that because we expect games like this to be competitive and we want to make sure that they’re working hard and hurting a little bit so when they get into these moments where it hurts, they’re ready for it and the moment won’t be too big for them.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 11:37 PM.
