By FRANCIS FEDOR
The South Shore high school hoops season is off and running for the 2025-26 season. The Morgan Mustangs, from Wimauma’s newest school, led the way on Monday, Nov. 17, tipping off at Winthrop College Prep Academy (WCPA) for the program’s inaugural game. The Mustangs fell to the Spartans in Apollo Beach, 79-52, but rebounded the next night, staying on the road and visiting a South Shore Six (SS6) rival for the first time. The Mustangs held on for their first victory, a 71-63 win over the Sharks. In addition to the Wimauma v Riverview tilt, the South Shore Six battled each other on Tuesday, with Spoto besting Lennard, 62-42, and Sumner defeating East Bay, 55-48.
East Bay senior Curry Staples battles with Sumner’s Miles Moore for the ball in Stingray win over East Bay on Nov. 18 in the Tank.
Indian junior Kaden Peterson and Stingray Miles Moore battle for rebound position after a free-throw in Stingray win over East Bay on Nov. 18 in the Tank.
Francis Fedor photos
Sumner junior Immanuel Kelly goes around an East Bay defender on the way to the hoop in Stingray win over East Bay on Nov. 18 in the Tank.
All of the SS6 were back in action on Wednesday night, took Thursday night off, and all of the teams played Friday night to end the week.
Sumner never trailed in the game, jumping out to an early 13-5 lead in front a raucous crowd in the Tank for its home opener. The Stingrays took a 28-14 lead to the locker room, doubling up the Indians on the scoreboard. East Bay looked to its seniors and made a run, getting to within four points with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter, but that would be as close as they would get as the Rays found the energy they had started the game with and closed with a flourish, getting Coach Gaddis his first 2025-26 win in the home opener. Stingray Devin Hestin was a standout for the game with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Miles Moore added 13 for the winners. The Indians’ Curry Staples tossed in 17 to stand out for East Bay.
Sumner lost by two on Wednesday in a 60-58 heart-breaker against WCPA, off to a 2-0 start after coming off a win vs. Morgan. Immanuel Kelly led the way with 21 points and five rebounds in a strong effort to keep the Stingrays in the game. Sumner ended the week with a 62-49 over nearby SS6 rival Lennard for its second win of the season. Kelly is off to a strong start, leading the Stingrays and averaging 16 points-per-game.
Morgan continued its winning ways with a solid win over Jefferson. The Mustangs have built upon each game, raising their point total, and they eclipsed their outcome by 10 in the 81-56 win over the Dragons. The Mustangs, however, could not carry the momentum into a 71-62 loss to Spoto and ended the week at 2-2.
Riverview bounced back after the loss to the Mustangs with a 53-26 rout at Middleton but fell on Friday at Newsome, 74-39, to end its week.
Spoto got a breakout effort in the opener vs Lennard from senior Esteban Perez, scoring 24 in the win. The Spartans traveled to face Leto on Dec. 19 and hung on for a 53-52 win in a thriller. Senior Jerren Rodriguez starred in the win with a 21-point effort to lead Spoto. Coach Bryce Moragne has his Spartans squad off to an undefeated 3-0 start after the win over Morgan.
Lennard senior Devin Freeman led the way with 15 points in the loss to Spoto, with Moises Abreu leading with eight rebounds. The Longhorns lost a tough game on Wednesday, traveling into Tampa to face Blake and losing by five, 52-47. The Longhorns are still looking for success after falling to 0-3 after the loss to Sumner to end the week.
East Bay fell at Strawberry Crest 65-62 but ended the week on a positive note with a 69-50 home win over Durant.
Upcoming Games:
Sumner, East Bay, Morgan, and Spoto are scheduled to take part in the National Hoopfeast on Nov. 28 in Wesley Chapel. The Stingrays are set to play in the tourney on Nov. 28 and 29. The Stingrays return to the Tank to play Morgan for the first time on Dec. 2 and travel to Jesuit the next night to face the Tigers. The Indians will play Rocky Bayou Christian to open their segment of the tourney, and the Mustangs will take on North Fort Myers. East Bay resumes on the road on Dec. 2 at Bloomingdale and the next night at home vs Gaither. Morgan will face a big game in playing Sumner in the Tank on Dec. 2 and then Chamberlain at home on the 3rd. The Spartans return to the hardwood on Dec. 2 to face Newsome.
Sumner senior Devin Houston goes for the block on East Bay senior John Desrosiers in Stingray win over East Bay on Nov. 18 in the Tank.
Lennard and Riverview look to have no games scheduled for the week off for Thanksgiving. The Longhorns resume regular season play on Dec. 1, traveling to Booker, staying on the road for Durant the next night and playing in front of their home fans on Dec. 3, facing Strawberry Crest. The Sharks play at home vs. Plant City on Tuesday, Dec. 2, and travel to Freedom on Wednesday night.
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