WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Winter Haven Lady Blue Devils aren’t used to these new digs.

The brand new Fieldhouse at Chain of Lakes Park hosted Winter Haven in one of their final practices of the season. It took the ladies out of their comfort zone.

But so has the entire season.

"I make them uncomfortable from the time they step on the floor," head coach Johnnie Lawson said.

Mistakes will be made, but that’s by design. Coach Johnnie Lawson is preparing his players for bigger things.

"They’re kind of used to being uncomfortable, but this is going to be a little different because it’s for the gold, it’s for the prize," Lawson said.

The prize, another state championship. Winter Haven’s claimed five titles since 2005, making them one of Florida’s winningest programs this century. Being a Lady Blue Devil comes with a heavy dose of responsibility. 

"Big expectations," junior guard Trinity Hardy said. "The legacy behind it. Everything, just, yeah.'

That legacy took a hit this season when the losses started adding up. 

"There were some bumps, some ups and downs," Lawson said. "They didn’t know how to play. It was a little frustrating at times but we’ve been here before. We’ve been to a point where kids don’t know how to play basketball.

"We don’t get the mega superstars, so we create them. We don’t get legends. We make them."

Like Hardy. The team’s leading scorer is the latest in a  long line of Lady Blue Devils to develop into one of the Bay Area’s top talents. The doubters this season gave her extra incentive.

"It definitely gives us a reason to work harder, a reason to let them know what it is," Hardy said.

What it is, is a history of greatness. All those state titles, including three in a row from 2016 to 2018. And the opportunity to add another piece of hardware to the overflowing trophy case. Not bad for a team that was counted out.

"God has a funny way of moving the ones in the back and kind of moving them to the front," Lawson said. "These kids were in the back and now they’ve been pushed out in the front and they deserve it."