Sofiia Kiritsa, Kellisia Grant hoping to return from ACL injuries in 2026

Knee injuries have sidelined a pair of talented products on the hardwood in Southwest Florida.

You can make a real case that Seacrest's Sonya Kiritsa and Evangelical Christian's Kellisia Grant are two of the area's top three players. But neither have been able to take the court this year due to ACL injuries.

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Kiritsa hasn't played in more than a year, tearing hers in the season-opener against ECS in November 2024. Coming off winning the Southwest Florida Girls Basketball Player of the Year award as a sophomore, Kiritsa has been recovering for 15 months and counting, hoping to get back on the court to help the Stingrays make a real run in Class 1A.

While Kiritsa hasn't been practicing with the team in full-court drills, she has been working individually off to the side, rehabbing her knee with hopes of joining the program for the postseason come February. Seacrest coach Nikita Carty said that the plan is to have Kiritsa back in action by the end of the month.

"She's just working to get back," Carty said. "She's in the gym working out. Physical therapy is going good. She's going to get a test again to see if she can ramp it up. She should be back.

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"Mentally, she's a tough kid. She has a very supportive host family. She shuts out all the noise in the gym. I've got to kick her out of the gym sometimes and tell her, 'Should you be doing this?' She's following the proper guidelines to make sure that she comes back."

Returning Kiritsa to Seacrest's starting five would be a huge addition. In her last full season at Lely as a sophomore, she averaged 16.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 steals per game to help the Trojans reach a regional final in Class 5A.

Grant's status is more up in the air, as the 2025 Southwest Florida Girls Basketball Player of the Year Finalist suffered her ACL injury over the summer. The severity of her injury was not disclosed, but time is running out for the Sentinels, who hope to have her return to the starting lineup after averaging 13.1 points, 5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game a season ago. Grant's points per game and steals per game marks were both team highs.

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"Had I known Grant was hurt, I wouldn't schedule like this. Honestly," ECS coach Dwayne Donnell said. "Because we're not physically able to play this game, but they're still out there fighting."

Despite not having their primary ball handler on the floor, a pair of middle schoolers have established themselves. Seve Armstead and Sanaa Stillman have been giving the Sentinels quality minutes, combining for 17.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 3.2 steals per game. It's been good enough for Donnell's squad, which currently sits at 10-3 and a top 30 ranking statewide in Florida.

"When I told her she was my new assistant coach, she literally took that to heart," Donnell said. "You watch her, she is everything in an assistant. She's everything. The big sister role, you see her talking to Seve. She is the greatest loving kid in the whole wide world."

The Stingrays will take on Monsignor Pace and Donahue Catholic on the road this week, while ECS will face stiff tests in St. John Neumann and Bishop Verot.

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Seacrest's Sofiia Kiritsa, ECS' Kellisia Grant aim for 2026 returns from ACL injuries