- May 4, 2024
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Mooney sophomore guard Bri Behn brings the ball up the court.
Photo by Ryan KohnMooney sophomore Kali Barrett skies for a layup at the Final Four.
File photoMooney sophomore Sy'monique Simon drives to the basket against Miami Country Day's Sofia Mendez.
Photo by Ryan KohnCardinal Mooney girls basketball junior Kali Barrett (21) is the Cougars' leading scorer at 12.8 points per game as of Dec. 15.
File photoMooney senior Olivia Davis goes one-on-one with Miami Country Day's Kristina Godfrey.
Photo by Ryan KohnMooney junior Sam Kotasek drives to the basket against Miami Country Day's Jalynn Belton.
Photo by Ryan KohnMooney sophomore Josie Maloni guards Miami Country Day's Kristina Godfrey.
Photo by Ryan KohnMooney Coach Marlon Williams encourages his team to keep fighting.
Photo by Ryan KohnMooney junior Sam Kotasek fights for a ball in the paint.
Photo by Ryan Kohn8. Mooney senior Olivia Davis was one of the team's leading scorers.
File photoMooney sophomore Kali Barrett cuts through a double-team attempt.
Photo by Ryan KohnMooney's Kali Barrett and Olivia Davis embrace after the team's loss to Miami Country Day School.
Photo by Ryan KohnThree years in a row, the Cardinal Mooney High girls basketball team has reached the sport's biggest game.
Three years in a row, the Cougars have returned home disappointed.
On Saturday, the Cougars (21-6) fell 54-38 to Miami Country Day School (25-7) in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 3A state championship game at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. Mooney trailed by a single point, 8-7, after one quarter, but Miami Country Day broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring the Cougars 23-12 for a 31-19 halftime lead. Mooney cut the lead to 39-29 after three quarters, but the Spartan's air-tight defense prevented the Cougars from scoring enough points to mount a comeback.
"Our girls, I'm proud of them," Mooney Coach Marlon Williams said. "(But) we missed key shots. There were a few details that we missed, a few players missed defensive assignments, and they're a well-coached team."
Spartans Coach Ochiel Swaby said his team's defensive plan was to take away Mooney senior Olivia Davis' shot-making ability with double-teams and force other players to beat them. Davis, a University of Tampa signee, finished the game with 10 points on 2-10 shooting. Mooney sophomore Kali Barrett led the Cougars with 16 points.
The Spartans were led by senior Kristina Godfrey, a Florida Atlantic University signee, who had 20 points on 9-13 shooting.
