By FRANCIS FEDOR
Sumner basketball built momentum as the final week of the regular season came to an end and will open the FHSAA 7A District 11 tournament as the two seed, having a first-round bye. The Stingrays ran up a four-game winning streak before falling to Sickles in the final game of the Western Conference set. Sumner opened the week on Monday, Jan. 24, with a road win at Middleton. They traveled back up to Middleton HS the next night to face Alonso in a neutral venue game to open the mini-tournament and won a barn burner 51-47. The ’Rays closed out the regular season with a 91-71 loss at Sickles, one of the host schools for the second round of Western Conference games. The Stingrays will play the winner of an Alonso vs. Riverview match-up that occurred on Feb. 3 at Alonso HS. The second-round game will be played at Sumner HS on Wednesday, Feb. 5. This will either be a rematch against an Alonso Ravens squad they narrowly defeated only a week prior, or Sumner may rematch against a Riverview Sharks team they handily defeated 60-21 at home on Dec. 3, their third game of the season. The Sharks have struggled to a 6-13 record this season but came into the districts winning two in a row to close out their regular season.
Stinray junior Hazuki Sykes has a fun moment in celebration with a teammate in big win over Tampa Bay Tech on Jan. 20.
The Stingrays started their week scoring a season high 96 points in a 96-70 win over Middleton. The 70 points were also a season high for the 1-21 Tigers, against a ’Rays squad that has played well defensively. Coach Gaddis was looking to hold Middleton to around 30 on the night, but his team did come away with the victory. The team shot over 50% from beyond the arc and were 32 for 62 overall. Karsten Walker again stepped up with a huge 34-point night, and Amari Turner contributed 15. Sumner played in a low scoring game, comparably, the next night vs. Alonso. Coach Gaddis credits his team for great execution down the stretch and key defensive stops for the win. The team, not knowing if the game counted for districts, played as if it did and it paid off. Walker again led with 19 and Anthony Bailey scored 12. The ’Rays wrapped up the week with a tough loss against Sickles. Coach Gaddis tipped his hat to the Gryphons for their countering his strategy and utilizing their size in the paint. For each opportunity to draw the lead down to single digits, Sickles came up with a play. Bennard Anson led with 21 points and Immanuel Kelly tossed in 16.
Francis Fedor Photos
Stingray point guard Camryn Jeter takes the tip to start the win vs. Tampa Bay Tech.
Sumner junior Mariah Farmer eyes up the basket, avoiding defenders along the way to the hoop.
The Stingray girls concluded their regular season on a high, winning 69-54 on Jan. 24 at Robinson, dominating Chamberlain 64-37 on Jan. 28 and routing Tampa Bay Tech 52-5 the next night in the Tank. The 5-point defensive gem matched the ’Rays game against Gaither back on Dec. 12, where they held the Cowboys to nearly no offense. Sumner girls basketball, led by Marika Starks and assistant Tiona Wilson, is rolling into its 7A District Tournament play on a three-game winning streak. Its 15-9 regular season record earned the girls a first-round bye as the second seed in the bracket. Palm Harbor University took the top spot. The ’Rays will play the winner of the Plant vs. Alonso game on Wednesday, Feb. 6, at Sumner. The ’Rays defeated Plant 71-56 on Jan. 8 and have not played Alonso this season. Senior Briana Gill-Guyette leads the team at 15 points-per-game, and Jamese Watson has hit 39 3-point shots to lead the ’Rays.
For more South Shore action, look for Steve Jackson’s write-up covering the other South Shore HS games.
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