Class 4A State Championship Finals Standouts
In this article:
In what became an instant classic, Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale) and Santa Fe (Alachua) battled it out today for the FHSAA Class 4A State Championship. The highly anticipated matchup boasted two of Florida’s best teams and was full of high…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn what became an instant classic, Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale) and Santa Fe (Alachua) battled it out today for the FHSAA Class 4A State Championship. The highly anticipated matchup boasted two of Florida’s best teams and was full of high collegiate talent. Here’s how the game panned out:
Santa Fe v. Pine Crest, FHSAA Class 4A Finals, 83-90 (2OT)
Here were the game standouts:
Amen Thompson, Pine Crest, 6’5″, 2022
Thompson put on one of the craziest performances I’ve ever seen in today’s game. Thompson finished with 43 points and 13 rebounds, as well as 8 steals. Thompson is lanky scorer with the size of a good combo guard, and is strong enough to draw contact and get to the line. He can change his shot in the air with ease and is dangerous around the rim. He is also athletic and can block shots and disrupt passing lanes. With twin brother Ausar fouling out in the early 4th quarter, Amen completely took over and showed that he has the ability to completely dominate a game. He walks away with a state championship and the hope for another one in his future.
Dontrell Jenkins, Santa Fe, 5’7″, 2023
Jenkins has completely leveled up in the state tournament. Jenkins isn’t always the star of the show for Santa Fe, but he has definitely been the main character in this state championship story. Jenkins finished the game with 31 points with 8 threes and a 63% clip from downtown. Jenkins is also an effective floor general who is responsible for directing the Santa Fe offense and creates good looks for his team. But today, Jenkins was all scorer and looked like an all star. He’s a player whose stock will definitely grow over his next two seasons.
Ernest “Poppa” Ross, Santa Fe, 6’9″, 2021, NC State commit
Ross is the usual go-to guy for Santa Fe, and while Dontrell Jenkins swallowed today’s spotlight, Ross put his own show on in the background. Ross finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in the 2OT loss, as well as contributing 2 blocks and 2 steals. He is always a bit slow to get going, but can heat up down the stretch when his team really needs him. He’s a jumper at heart and his athleticism helps the Raiders in massive ways. He also had arguably the tournament’s best dunk with a sick poster over Amen Thompson in the second quarter. He is a high D1 commit whose athleticism will immediately transfer onto the collegiate court next season.