Underdogs, Holmes County ready for state final challenge
LAKELAND, Fla. (WMBB) – After cruising through the Rural State Semifinal, the Holmes County girls basketball team is channeling its underdog mentality for the title game against top-ranked Wildwood.
The Lady Blue Devils rolled past Hilliard with a 17-point victory in the state semifinal, closing the contest with all their starters on the bench.
This season, Holmes County has already notched the highest win total (26) in program history and matched the 2019 team that finished as state runners-up.
Holmes County senior shooting guard, Savannah Goodman says this team wants to write their own legacy.
'Since the beginning of the season, we've been saying, this season is going to make history,' Goodman said. 'So I think just kind of being in this moment is kind of surreal. We're really excited just to be able to, not only represent this specific team, but represent Holmes County Girls basketball as a whole, and hopefully to be able to make a legacy and make a mark.'
While the state semifinal went by smoothly for the Lady Devils, the championship is expected to be much more difficult.
Holmes County will face Wildwood, who is ranked No. 1 in the Rural Classification and No. 4 through all Florida classifications.
Holmes County Senior small forward, Emma Whitaker said they're embracing that role as underdogs for the state final.
'I like being the underdog sometimes because they don't expect it,' Whitaker said. 'We've been working hard for this, like, forever. And I think we have what it takes. We just got to bring our energy, do what we've been doing, what we've worked for, and I think I think we can do it.'
Holmes County senior, Bri Adams is competing in Lakeland for the third year in a row and was three points from a state championship with Graceville last season. Adams said finishing on top this year means everything to her.
'I'm going to do whatever it takes to win that game no matter what it is,' Adams said. 'I want to win it, and so I'm going to do whatever it takes. And I think that there are at least four other girls on this team who have said that exact same thing, we want to do whatever it takes to win. And so, that's a really encouraging feeling.'
Holmes County and Wildwood will play for all the marbles on Friday, February 28, at 5:00 p.m. EST.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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