Flowers leads Northeast girls' basketball to win over Ely and first ever state tournament
For the first time in the history of Oakland Park Northeast High girls' basketball, which started in 1974, the Hurricanes made it to the state tournament.
Led by senior guard Nykeria Flowers' 26 points, the Canes held on to defeat Blanche Ely 56-54 in the Region 4-5A final on Friday at a sold out gymnasium at Northeast High.
The Hurricanes (28-2), winners of 12 consecutive games, will play Gainesville in their semifinal game on March 5 at 1 p.m. at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
The final minute was frantic as Ely led 54-52 with 1:25 to play. Junior guard Jazmine Jones tied the score on a short jumper. The Hurricanes got the ball back on a rebound in which freshman Shanesha Johnson's layup was good for the final points of the game at 56-54.
The two-point margin of victory was the smallest of the season having previously won four other games by single digits.
'Nykeria is the leader of our team,' Northeast coach Lawrence Hanna said. 'She told the girls at the half that the game isn't over. She went out after halftime and showed everybody.
'We're so happy for the opportunity to play at the state tournament. We're going to make the most of it. On our first day of practice, I told the girls we would be going to state. We planted that seed, and we let them see the benefits.'
After years of struggling for victories, the 2024-25 Hurricanes' 28 wins equaled the total amount of wins through nine seasons ranging 1996-97 through 2006-07.
Friday's win gave the Hurricanes their second win of the year over Ely. Their previous four losses to the Tigers from 2017-21, they were outscored 325-64.
'I'm so glad we did this in my senior year,' Flowers said. 'This season has been a blessing. 'We won the BCAA, the district and regional and now we're going to Lakeland. This feels great to have the opportunity to win a state title.'
Flowers' aggressive moves to the basket were crucial for her team as she had 13 third-quarter points that helped tie the score to 44-44 entering the final quarter.
A key element that helped determine the final margin of victory was the difference at the free throw line for both teams.
The Hurricanes were 16 of 23 from the line with Flowers making 9 of her 10 attempts. The Tigers made 12 of 23 attempts. The differential helped determine the outcome of the game
'Our team fought through adversity but came up short down the stretch,' said first-year Ely coach James Green. 'Northeast is a good team and is well coached.'
Jones and Brainna Lovett each scored 10 points to support Flowers' performance. The Tigers got 17 points from junior guard Teriyah McFadden and 12 more from Amari Johnson.
Ely (17-8) was seeking to win the school's third state girls basketball championship.
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