Meet the All-Gainesville Area Small School Girls Basketball Team, Player of the Year
De’Mya Adams knew how to handle herself in these situations.
Her Hawthorne squad trailed for much of the game against Wildwood in the Class 1A State Semifinals in a game many expected the Hornets to lose.
But Adams was a defending state champion. She could tell the game needed a player like her.
She knocked down a three and kickstarted a 9-0 run to lift HHS to a 44-41 victory over the Wildcats.
“She was built for that moment. We knew when it left her hands it was good,” head coach Cornelius Ingram said. “Then it was really game time.”
The next day, Hawthorne won its second straight state title over Graceville.
A month and a half later, Adams now has two of her own in another regard.
The Gainesville Sun All-Area Small School Girls Basketball Player of the Year.
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Adams takes home the crown after averaging 16.3 PPG, 4 SPG and knocked down over 40 threes and 125 field goals.
The guard is only a junior, by the way, so she and the Hornets can end up back on that pedestal again next year.
![Hawthorne High School’s De'Mya Adams is this year’s Gainesville Sun Girls Basketball Player of the Year. Adams, 17 and a junior, plays both shooting and point guard for the Hornets. The team won the Basketball State Championship two years in a row and Adams shows off the two medals Thursday afternoon, April 11, 2024 at Hawthorne High School. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star Banner]2024](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NBqHcBD79eznf_tqaUsMcw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY3NQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/fff5812d6281721c308fceb097bec527)
Below is the full All-Gainesville Area Small School Girls Basketball team. The first and second team, with five players each, comes from eight schools across Classes 2A and 1A. In case you missed it, the big school team, Classes 3A-6A, was released last week.
Congrats to all the players!
First Team
Guard: De’Mya Adams, Hawthorne, Junior: 16.3 PPG (130th in Florida, 9th in 1A), 4.0 SPG (9th in 1A), 2.6 APG, 43 3FGs (7th in 1A), 129 FGs (8th in 1A), 75 FTs (93rd in Florida, 5th in 1A)
Guard: Brandy Whitfield, Newberry, Sophomore: 19.6 PPG (51st in Florida, 3rd in 1A), 4.5 SPG (85th in Florida, 8th in 1A), 42 3FGs (8th in 1A), 3.9 APG (101st in Florida, 8th in 1A), 159 FGs (66th in Florida, 4th in 1A)
Guard/Forward: Samantha Keith, Countryside Christian, Junior: 16.9 PPG (101st in Florida, 20th in 2A), 7.1 RPG, 2.2 APG, 3.4 SPG, 106 FTs (24th in Florida, 4th in 2A), 32 3PGs (19th in 2A), 117 FGs (33rd in 2A)
![Oak Hall Eagles Leila Sims (5) and Countryside Christian Minutemen Samantha Keith (2) during the Class 2A-District 4 Final Girls Basketball game between Oak Hall School and Country Side Christian School at Saint Francis High School in Gainesville, FL on Friday, February 9, 2024. [Chris Watkins/Gainesville Sun]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/0R4IK0dahhjDYXCqPHEuMA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/7a65e8e62ec6e14a5e71b195c87a4f37)
Forward: Nyima Gillyard, Trenton, Junior: 13.9 PPG (17th in 1A), 5.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 160 FGs (63rd in Florida, 3rd in 1A), 66 FTs (6th in 1A), 4 double doubles (15th in 1A)
Forward: Jhalea Jackson, Hawthorne, Freshman: 3.8 BPG (11th in Florida, 1st in 1A), 3.8 APG (9th in 1A), 12 double doubles (55th in Florida, 2nd in 1A), 10.6 RPG (78th in Florida, 3rd in 1A), 50 FTs (16th in 1A)
Second Team
Guard: Sarah Beaulieu, Newberry, Junior: 17.1 PPG (95th in Florida, 6th in 1A), 6.2 APG (10th in Florida, 1st in 1A), 5.4 SPG (34th in Florida, 1st in 1A), 153 FGs (81st in Florida, 5th in 1A), 5 double doubles (10th in 1A)
![Hawthorne Hornets guard Jaz’lyn Jackson (10) goes in for a layup over Newberry Panthers Sarah Beaulieu (3). The Newberry Panthers visited the Hawthorne Hornets at Hawthorne High School Tuesday night, February 14, 2023 for region final action in girls basketball. The winner advances to Final Four in Lakeland. Hawthorne won 80-55. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]2023](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/HnW8NchtmVI_FqHzRKmImA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyMzg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-gainesville-sun/df9629cd14ea4f9359cc5393ac4bd7b1)
Guard: Maddie Smith, Bell, Junior: 15.0 PPG (12th in 1A), 4.9 SPG (67th in Florida, 5th in 1A), 21 3FGs (33rd in 1A), 1.7 APG, 123 FGs (11th in 1A)
Guard/Forward: Isreal Hart, Fort White, Junior: 16.7 PPG (108th in Florida, 7th in 1A), 0.5 BPG (34th in 1A), 2.0 RPG, 0.6 APG
Forward: Sri Lanka Richardson, Oak Hall, Senior: 12.7 PPG (47th in 2A), 18 FTs, 35 FGs
Forward: Ryleigh Locke, Chiefland, Junior: 2.2 BPG (57th in Florida, 3rd in 1A), 9.0 RPG (9th in 1A), 5 double doubles (13th in 1A), 6.4 PPG
Coach of the Year: Cornelius Ingram, Hawthorne
4-0.
That’s the record Cornelius Ingram holds in state title games over the past two seasons in football and girls basketball.
As such, he’s only won his fourth straight Coach of the Year crown combined between the two sports.
“God has blessed me a lot. God has blessed me to be able to do this in my hometown,” Ingram said after the state title in March. “A lot of people have success, but not many have success in their hometown, coaching their kids.”
Hawthorne began the season 3-3 as Ingram took some time off after football season, but the Hornets then rattled off 19 straight wins to go back to back.
Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Hawthorne's De'Mya Adams is the Small School Girls Basketball of the Year
