Northeast's Nykeria Flowers is the Broward 7A-5A Girls' Basketball Player of the Year
Whether it's on or off the court, Flowers often exhibits the mental toughness it takes to succeed.
It's what carried her and the Northeast girls' basketball team to a historic season.
Led by Flowers, a 5-5 senior guard, the Hurricanes recorded a school record for wins and made it back to the state final four for the first time since 2017.
Her efforts earned Flowers this year's Miami Herald Class 7A-5A Girls' Basketball Player of the Year honors.
'This was big. I always wanted to be Player of the Year growing up,' Flowers said. 'My family looked up to me and wanted me to achieve. This season was rough in the beginning, but I turned it around and made the best of it.'
Flowers wasn't just a scorer, but a strong defender and solid distributor of the ball, making her a threat to opponents at both ends of the court.
She averaged 19.7 points, 3.8 steals, 3.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while leading Northeast to its first BCAA Big 8 title as well as district and regional titles.
At the BCAA tournament, Flowers earned MVP honors after leading the Hurricanes to a win over then four-time defending state champion Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas in the championship game.
Flowers earned so much respect from her peers, a rival school took a moment to honor her this past season. When Flowers eclipsed the 1,000-point scoring mark for her career during a game at Cooper City High School, the opposing team and its fans took a moment to acknowledge her accomplishment.
Flowers' drive led Northeast all the way to Lakeland where it faced Gainesville in the Class 5A state semifinals. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, a slow start led to a double-digit early deficit they would not be able to overcome and eventually they lost by two points.
But Flowers took solace in the fact, she and her teammates made history and perhaps established a foundation for future success.
'We're just grateful even though we lost. We made a lot of history in one season,' Flowers said. 'It was great. We just learned we have to be ready from the start.'
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