By FRANCIS FEDOR
Sumner opened the week of Dec. 4 with a 56-33 home win vs. Lennard on Tuesday, traveled to Hillsborough on Wednesday to defeat the Terriers 63-54 and finished the week on Friday night with a 44-38 loss at Newsome.
The Stingrays entered the Newsome game with a chance to extend a three-game winning streak as Sumner is off to a good start for new head coach Ryan Bethoney and the team, but the Wolves were just a little too much for the ‘Rays. A couple of corrections from last week: I had misspelled Ryan Bethoney’s last name and referred to Greg Smith III as Greg Williams.
The Stingrays opened the week welcoming Lennard HS, making the 8-mile trip over to Sumner HS. The ‘Rays used a big first quarter to double up the Longhorns, 20-10, setting the tone for the night. Lennard only gave up a little ground in the second quarter, and the first half ended with Sumner holding the 27-16 advantage. The Stingrays used the final two quarters to extend the lead to the final score of 56-33 and send Lennard home with the road loss. Jacob Douglas led all Stingrays with 10 points for the night. Devin Freeman and Arcadian Davis finished with 10 each for the Longhorns.

Sumner Devin Baker scans the floor to look for a play in action vs. the Lennard Longhorns on Dec. 5.

Stingray forward Karsten Walker makes contact as he takes a shot over the Longhorn defender.

Sumner guard Jacob Douglas races up court, leaving a Lennard defender chasing the play.
It was a quick turnaround for Sumner as the team traveled to Hillsborough to take on the Terriers the next night. The Hillsborough campus is filled with historic buildings and ages old tradition dating back to 1882. None of that helped the Terriers as Sumner jumped out to an 18-8 lead in the opening stanza. Hillsborough stayed close enough throughout the night to force the ‘Rays to earn the victory. Isaiah Williams led the Stingrays with nine blocks putting Sumner on a three-game winning streak.

Francis Fedor Photos
Stingray junior Isaiah Williams makes a power move to the hoop against a number of Longhorn defenders.
The win streak ended on the road at Newsome where Sumner also ended its playoff run last season. Sumner was very competitive vs. the Wolves, and the ‘Rays gave themselves a chance to leave with the win, down only two points at the half, 19-17. Newsome used a 16-10 third quarter to extend its lead, and that lead was too much for Sumner to overcome. The Stingrays didn’t help themselves by missing 12 shots from the free throw line. It easily could have changed the outcome. It is an area that the coaching staff will emphasize during practice to improve their percentage, which may result in close game wins vs. losses. Devin Baker was the top Sumner scorer with 13 points. Jacob Douglas was held scoreless from the floor with his only two points on the night coming from the line.
Sumner travels to Middleton on Dec. 11, has Plant City coming to Sumner on Dec. 12 and finishes the week with two road games – Dec. 15 at South Shore rival Riverview and Dec. 16 at Auburndale – before taking two weeks off for the holiday season. The Stingrays will return to the court for tournament games on Jan. 3, 4 and 5 to resume their season.