The infamous Cinderella story last season was the Ocoee High girls basketball team. The Lady Knights etched themselves in the record books by reaching the Class 7A FHSAA State Semifinals for the first time in program history. 

This season was no different. 

The Lady Knights’ district and regional championship titles earned the team a back-to-back appearance in the Final Four. Not only did the players make history for Ocoee once again, they also made history for FHSAA girls basketball by becoming one of the first four rosters to play in Jacksonville for a state title. 

But, the Final Four was the team’s stopping ground. 

Ocoee fell to Winter Haven 31-26 Friday, March 13, and the team’s 2025-2026 campaign came to a close. 

Both teams were better offensively than the final score portrayed; Ocoee averaged 56.7 points per game, while Winter Haven averaged 57.8. The low score in the semifinal game was a product of the teams’ determination on defense and preventing Ocoee’s leading scorer, Dakara Merthie, from getting hot. 

The Lady Knights ended the season 24-6, ranked first in the team’s district and No. 13 in Florida. 

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