By FRANCIS FEDOR
On Tuesday, Dec. 2, South Shore Six (SS6) action saw Sumner and Morgan meet for the first time in Mustang history in the Tank in the opening chapter of a new South Shore rivalry. Morgan scored the first bucket and hung around, with the first quarter ending with the Stingrays holding a 16-13 lead. Sumner extended the lead to 35-19 just before the half ended, and Morgan didn’t have enough to recover. The Stingrays led by 26 at one point in the third quarter. Both teams brought high energy efforts to the gym, but it was the experience of the Stingrays that led the way for the win. Bennard Anson and Aiden Higginbotham led the way with 13 points each.
Sumner junior Miles Moore and senior Devin Houston make their way back on offense in win over Morgan on Dec. 2 in the Tank at Sumner.
Morgan junior Remington Fritts calls out the Mustang offense in loss at Sumner on Dec. 2.
Spoto lost its first game at home vs. Newsome, 51-36, after winning its first three games. The Wolves are off to a hot start, winning their first five games. East Bay made the trip to Bloomingdale and came away with the 68-51 win. Riverview knocked off Plant City 61-53 for its second win of the season. Lennard lost on the road at Durant, 66-58 to round out the SS6 night.
On Wednesday night, the Lennard Longhorns, looking for their first win, took on the undefeated Strawberry Crest Chargers at home. Coach Chris Putnam had his players ready and up to the challenge. The Longhorns battled for every ball and jumped out to an early second quarter lead, 22-18. Lennard pushed the lead out to 17 with 4:43 left in the third and never let up, earning its first win, 62-42, and pinned the Chargers with their first loss. It was a good night for a squad that has struggled. The Longhorns had put up nearly 60 in a 66-58 loss to Durant earlier in the week in a good sign for the offense. Moises Abreu led with 15 points.
Sumner pushed undefeated Jesuit to overtime on the road, but the Tigers held off the Stingrays, 86-76, in Tampa. Anson paced Sumner with 21 points in the defeat. Coach Gaddis has the team competing and very well could be 7-1 with a couple of breaks. Morgan continued to struggle after finding success in the first week of the season, losing to Chamberlain 69-53 to fall to 2-6. Remington Fritts is the team’s scoring leader, averaging 12 points-per-game. As a team, the Mustangs are averaging just over 60 ppg but have only eclipsed the 60 point mark twice in the past five games after posting 81 in a game at Jefferson.
Riverview could not carry the momentum of the win over Plant City and fell to Freedom 51-48. East Bay also failed to use the momentum of a win and lost 63-45 to Gaither at home. Spoto, after starting the season with three consecutive wins, dropped its second in a row, a 64-59 tough luck road loss to Plant City.
Mustang sophomore Andres Baltazar-Rosa puts up a shot in loss at Sumner on Dec. 2.
Closing the week on Friday, Dec. 5, Sumner in its lowest offensive output on the early season, lost 63-51 to Newsome. The East Bay Indians defeated the Lennard Longhorns 69-45 in Ruskin. The Indians haven’t cracked the 70 point mark on the season, but matched their high of 69, also in a win against Durant, and moved to 3-4 on the season. The Longhorns fell to 1-6 while looking for their first back-to-back wins on the season after the upset win over Strawberry Crest two nights prior.
The Morgan Mustangs took care of business with their first home win, 63-51, over the Durant Cougars in Wimauma. Coach Caleb Summerville’s Mustangs ran out to an early second quarter 20-9 lead. The Cougars clawed back into the game just before the end of the second, trimming the Morgan lead to five at 26-21. The margin stayed around nine until the Mustangs built their largest lead, at 13, with 2:27 left in the game to cruise to the win and send the home crowd home with that winning feeling. Andres Baltazar-Rosa led the way with 16 and Remington Fritts added 14 for the Mustangs. Terry Woods rounds out the trio of players who are consistently pacing Morgan.
Sumner senior Evan Neighbors positions himself for a rebound in win over Morgan on Dec. 2 in the Tank at Sumner.
Sumner leads the SS6 scoring, averaging 62 points in its wins, and is tied with East Bay for differential in offensive points scored v defensive points allowed at four.
All SS6 teams will be in action on Dec. 12. Sumner plays on the road at Riverview for the first time this season in a match up of two South Shore teams. Another SS6 rivalry game will be the first ever meeting between Morgan and Lennard in Ruskin. East Bay visits the Newsome Wolves, and Spoto hosts Bloomingdale to round out the slate of games.
Ruskin Christian is quietly off to a hot start at 5-1 under Coach Kenneth Bellard, winning its first three games before losing to Palm Grove Christian on Dec. 2. The squad returned the favor three days later with a 54-47 win and is back on a two-game winning streak.
Francis Fedor Photos
Stingray senior Bennard Anson brings the ball up court in win over Morgan on Dec. 2 in the Tank at Sumner.
Hillsborough County schools take a winter break for the holidays from Monday, Dec. 22, through Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. A number of the teams will play in tournaments to stay in basketball shape in competitive environments. Lennard, in a non-tourney match up, will travel to Apollo Beach to take on Winthrop College Prep Acad. (WCPA), who has been tough on the SS6. It opened the season with an 81-52 win over Morgan in the Mustangs’ first ever game and defeated Sumner on a buzzer beater in its next game, starting the season at 3-0 before its first loss to Sarasota HS. Riverview will play on Dec. 18 at Tampa Bay Prep.
Riverview will play in the City of Tampa tourney on Dec. 19-20. East Bay is scheduled to compete in the Springstead Christmas Tournament from Dec. 21-23 and then will play in the City of Champions tourney hosted by Seffner. Sumner is also scheduled to play in the Seffner tournament from Jan. 1-3, 2026. Spoto will play in the annual Nature Coast Technical Christmas Tournament in Brooksville from Dec. 27-29.
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