The Bishop Kenny girls basketball team ran into a dynasty.
As much as the Crusaders have tried over the years, they haven’t been able to budge Lake Highland Prep. The Highlanders led wire to wire and won their fifth consecutive state championship with a 58-47 win over Kenny at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
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Four of Lake Highland’s five straight titles have come at the expense of the Crusaders, three in championship games and another in the semifinals. The Highlanders were lethal from the foul line (21 of 29) and didn’t need a comeback like they did last year against Kenny. This one was open and shut.
They opened a 10-point lead over the Crusaders at halftime. While Kenny would cut that down to single digits in the third quarter with eight straight points it couldn’t author a fairytale ending in the final quarter.
Clare Coyle ended her Crusaders career with 22 points and 17 rebounds before fouling out. Riley Talbert followed with 11 points. The Crusaders have reached the state round in Lakeland six consecutive seasons and played for four championships.