Another season ends in state semifinals for Booker girls basketball

This is a feeling the Tornadoes know all too well. 

In three of the last four seasons, they came within two wins of a state championship but fell short of the title game each time.

New season, same outcome.

Booker girls basketball (18-10) lost 81-48 to Orlando's Bishop Moore (25-4) in the FHSAA Class 4A state semifinals March 10 at Jacksonville’s UNF Arena. Once again, it failed to secure the first championship berth in program history.

“It’s frustrating,” said coach Ty Bryant. “Again, we get there, and here’s the result. But we’re just going to keep working at it, trying to get better.”

There was hope for the Tornadoes early on. At the end of the first quarter, they held a 16-13 advantage. Junior forward/center Lilli Morris and freshman guard Stefany De Jesus pitched in five and four points, respectively.

Bishop Moore, though, soon came to life. It exploded for a game-high 26 points in the second quarter while limiting Booker to eight. 

From there, the Hornets pulled away, outscoring the 4A-3 regional champions 42-24 in the second half.

“We just couldn’t find our rhythm offensively,” Bryant said. “Defensively, we did some things well, but then the turnovers just killed us.”

Senior guard Kennedy Guy and senior guard/forward Marayah Stuart, who averaged 17 points per game combined this season, accounted for eight. After sinking a 3-pointer early in the opening quarter, Guy never found the basket again.

Yvette Brown, though, submitted 15 points in her final game donning the purple and gold. The senior guard was the team’s leading scorer in 2025-26.

That makes four state semifinal appearances and four subsequent losses for the Tornadoes in six seasons. They’ll have to settle for a regional title — again.

“I know the naysayers and outsiders say, ‘Yeah, we get there, but we don’t win,’” Bryant said. “But it is what it is. I’m still proud of this group of girls and I’m proud of this program.”