LAKELAND, Fla. (WTXL) — For the first time since 1998, the Florida High boys basketball team is back in the state title game. With a win, the Seminoles will bring home the program's second state championship, and first since 1963.
Standing in their way? Top-seeded Riviera Prep. It's team Seminole head coach Charlie Ward says is loaded with playmakers that demand attention defensively. If you flashback to early January, Ward put his squad through a gauntlet of a schedule to prepare this team for big games like the one they play Friday, and his guys have responded with unselfish play on the court. They are ready for this moment.
“It’s been a total team effort, and the good thing is, like I shared with them, is that we’ve had 10 different starting lineups this year," he said Thursday. "That bodes well as you can see over the course of a year. They are very unselfish and we’ve just been able to ride that wave. Guys are being unselfish and doing what they have to do in their roles.”
Friday’s Class 3A state championship game tips off at 4:30 in Lakeland.
