Six days after taking down the Norland Vikings in the regional finals, the Lady Patriots traveled to Lakeland to battle with the fourth-seeded Southeast Seminoles (20-9) Thursday, Feb. 28 for a spot in the state finals.
After the first quarter, Heritage held a 14-11 advantage and closed out the half with a 17-4 run to secure a 33-22 lead at the break.
The third quarter followed a similar script and saw the Patriots further extend the lead to 50-35 at the start of the fourth.
The Patriots shut the door on the Seminoles in the final quarter, winning the game 67-55 and advancing to the State Finals.
Junior Tatyana Wyche led the team with 20 points and 11 boards to help push the Patriots to victory.
“People don’t realize the expectation that we’ve set. The bar we’ve set at American Heritage puts a little bit more pressure on us because we have to come through,” Farias said in an interview with the media following the game. “If we didn’t compete the way we did, it wouldn’t be a successful season this year.”
The Patriots will move on to the State Finals this Saturday, Feb. 28 where they will take on the second-seeded Pine Crest Eagles (21-4) for the title.
