Lake Gibson's Antonia Bennett, Braves set for state semifinals

It’s been a year full of challenges for the Lake Gibson High School girls’ basketball program. But in the end, those challenges were answered by the talent-infused roster, resulting in a historic campaign for the Braves.

This is the first time in Lake Gibson head coach Antonia Bennett’s eight years that the program advanced to the Class 6A state semifinals. Lake Gibson (16-10) will be squaring off against St. Thomas Aquinas (22-8) ― the No. 2 program in Class 6A and the No. 8 overall program in the state ― 6 p.m. Thursday at the RP Funding Center.

It wasn’t an easy task to get to this point for Lake Gibson. The program had several players that didn’t end up playing because of choice and due to moving to a different location. Those players were to add depth to give others a breather when tired.

Those travails led the team to a 1-5 start in 2022-23. But the Braves went on to rip off 15 of 20, only to find themselves in the big dance.

“I’m extremely proud. Myself and my coaching staff, we see it, (and) we’ve been looking at it from day one … and we saw that if we do the necessary things, staying healthy, keeping the girls healthy, things of that nature, that we had a chance,” Bennett said. “I’m extremely proud (we) were able to see it through. Because like I said, people probably look at our record (and think) what we had to do to get here. (But) we saw the vision, and I’m extremely proud. They got it done; they got tough.”

Lake Gibson has been tough all year, and that’s due to how strong — yet talented — the Braves’ big three are.

More:Girls' basketball: Lake Gibson takes district title over St. Cloud

Samari Wilson dominates competition

Wilson has been the best player on the court last year and this year. Wilson last year was The Ledger’s Girls Basketball Player of the Year. This year she will be competing for that title once more thanks to averaging 18 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

It isn’t all that surprising that her scoring average went up from last year, as Lake Gibson’s best player just loves the game ― and loves the process. She can post up, take the ball to the hoop, shoot, guard and can play all positions — a do-it-all player.

“She’s in the gym. She works on her game, (and) she understands what we need from her,” Bennett said.

Bennett said her parents ensuring she goes to the gym all the time, along with playing with East Coast United over the summer really elevated her game as well. This structure helped sharpen her composure and defense.

“It’s very cool, and honestly I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with any other team nor coach,” Wilson said. “I feel we have to keep playing like a family. Just go in and play our game and have fun.”

Jamila Ray adds another powerful scoring punch

Helping Wilson have fun is Ray thanks to her versatile skill set. Ray on the year is up to 17.9 points,5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Ray in 2022 came in as a top freshman in the county thanks to her polished skill set. But the one aspect of her game she needed to work on is making the easy layup.

“But other than that she’s a great kid. She does a lot of great things for us,” Bennett said.

Taniya Brown completes big three

What’s great about Brown is that most of the time she isn’t the focal point, so she can stealthily take down a team as a silent assassin while all the focus is on Ray and Wilson. Her contribution to the team has her up to 14.6 points, and 1.6 steals a game.

Additionally, she does the dirty work, while also getting to the free-throw line a ton for Lake Gibson.

These three players galvanize the team. And helping in that mix is senior Deandrea Arrington, who does her job of facilitating and hitting the open shot when presented.

For the rest, the assignment is simple.

“Just do what you can. Give us something: (score), rebound, a couple of stops (and) win your matchup — guard and defend,” Bennett said.

Lake Gibson’s program will be facing a St. Thomas team that won 17 or more games six years in a row. The Raiders average 57.5 points a game to Lake Gibson’s 55.8 thanks to top scorer, senior guard Karina Gordon. She helped the bunch win 10 in a row and 11 of 12.

“It’s definitely a tall task, but … trust our girls,” Bennett said. “We have nothing to lose, so we are just going to go out there and play free. .We are going to put our best foot forward. … We’re looking forward to it…”

Back in the days

Bennett can appreciate how far Lake Gibson advanced this year for the simple fact that when she played for the Braves in the late 2000s, her program never made it this far. The farthest her team went was the regional championship game in 2008, though she did help win two district championships.

Bennett didn’t blossom into her best version of her basketball self until she went to Florida A&M, eventually becoming a Hall of Famer at the program. But her sound basketball skill was still on display in the high school years, and her current crop of players reminds her of playing at Lake Gibson: Wilson can rebound like Bennett could back in the day but is a much more polished scorer at a ripe age.

But the focus now is on St. Thomas Aquinas, and Bennett isn’t coy about the circumstances.

“We’re ready,” Bennett said. “…Just excited to play in front of our home crowd in our backyard called the White House. Hopefully we made the city proud.”

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Gibson's Antonia Bennett, Braves set for state semifinals