By FRANCIS FEDOR
Sumner returned from the break on Tuesday, Jan. 6, with a 62-41 win over South Shore 6 (SS6) rival Spoto in the Tank. The Stingrays and the Spartans were coming off of successful holiday tournament appearances. It was the Spartans that got off to an early lead holding a 12-4 advantage at the end of a low scoring first quarter of play. Spoto held a 13-12 lead before the Sumner went on a run taking a 17-13 lead three minutes into the second quarter and ended the half up 27-20. The Rays started to play tighter defense and started knocking down shots, playing a strong stretch in the paint to flip the momentum and at one point, stretching the lead out to 22 points. Immanuel Kelly led the Stingrays with 15 points and Bennard Anson contributed 14 to lead Sumner to the win.
Stingray senior Mariah Farmer celebrated her 1000th point in action on Jan. 6 vs. Spoto in the Tank. Farmer leads the Rays in scoring and is an key player and floor leader for head coach Marika Starks.
Spartan senior Jerren Rodriguez drives the ball up court in game action on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in the Stingray home win over the Spartans. Rodriguez leads the Spartans in scoring.
Spoto senior Jesse Harden stretches for a rebound in game action on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in the Stingray home win over the Spartans
Morgan head coach Caleb Summerville led his Mustangs out to Bloomindale and it was the Bulls that came out on top with the 61-47 home win. Sophomore Raiden Burke paced the Mustangs with 16-points in the loss. East Bay faced Plant City over in Gibsonton and scored a 9-point win, 57-48 to break a two-game losing streak. In Ruskin, the Lennard Longhorns lost to the Newsome Wolves 61-38. And Riverview lost a heartbreaker at Durant, 47-46. Senior Nathan Moore scored 14 for the Sharks in the tough loss.
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, five of the SS6 were back in on the court in Hillsborough County hardwood action. Sumner won in a forfeit over Blake HS to move to 10-6 on the season. Lennard went on the road and picked up a 48-42 victory over the 2-11 Hillsborough Terriers. Devin Freeman led the Longhorns with an 18-point night. Morgan found the win column on the road with a 67-54 decision over the winless Middleton Tigers. Remmington Fritts scored 19-points in the win. Chamberlain made the trip to East Bay and left with a tight 58-56 win over the Indians. Spoto returned to their homecourt looking to get back into the win column, but King HS found just enough offense to pull out a 49-44 victory.
Sumner senior Devin Houston and Spartan Jarell Corgelas take the jump ball in game action on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in the Stingray home win over the Spartans.
Friday night saw Bloomingdale travel to another SS6 opponent, Sumner. The Tank, where Sumner has been perfect, was rocking and the Stingrays were looking to extend their winning streak to four games. The Bulls jumped out to 12-6 lead to end the first and extended the lead out to 21-10 and had the Rays looking for answers. Sumner coach Augustine Gaddis steadied the team and the Stingrays went on a 20-3 tear to take a 6-point lead to the locker room. The Bulls were not going to go quietly into the night and pulled to within two, at 48-46 with 5:24 left to play, before Sumner ran off the next nine points to seal the 59-49 win. Miles Moore and Immanuel Kelly led the Stingrays with 15 points each.
In other action, Spoto hung on for a close 55-52 home victory against Durant in a night of competitive basketball with three games decided by three points or less. The Riverview Sharks eked out a 48-45 homecourt win over SS6 rival East Bay.
Lennard and Plant City went to an extra period to decide the winner with the Raiders coming out on top, 52-50, in a heartbreaker for the Longhorns in Ruskin. Moises Abreu scored 14 points for the Longhorns. Morgan also lost in a game decided by three or less to Newsome, 53-51, failing to take advantage of a huge 24-point effort again from Raiden Burke.
The teams now head into the final weeks of the season before playoff tournaments begin.
Wednesday, Jan. 14 will see five South Shore games. Sumner heads to Bell Creek Academy starting a stretch of four games away from the Tank. The Stingrays could be Western Division champions if they won vs. Durant on Jan. 12. The Stingrays face a highly touted Armwood squad in their next home game which could be a preview of teams that have realistic FHSAA Champion aspirations. Spoto head coach Byrce Moragne has his Spartan squad hovering around .500 at 7-7 and will play the Jefferson Dragons in Gibsonton. Morgan welcomes Brandon to the Ranch. Riverview plays a home game against Hillsborough, who plays three SS6 teams during the week. And Lennard hosts the Middleton Tigers closing out the night. Longhorn head coach Chris Putnam has worked hard to keep a positive environment around the team as the season winds to an end. East Bay plays a game vs Wharton the next night, Jan. 15, in the lone South Shore game on the schedule. Head coach Yusef Hemmings has his Indians a game above .500 and have a district win in their favor.
Friday, Jan. 16, Sumner plays a key district game traveling to play the 13-4 Plant Panthers to take a commanding lead in the 7A District 11 bracket. Spoto takes a trip to play Hillsborough. Morgan hosts the surprising 11-5 King Lions in Wimauma. Riverview takes a bus trip out to play Robinson HS. And Lennard hosts the 12-3 Tampa Bay Tech Titans.
In rare regular season Saturday slate, Lennard plays the 11-6 Riverview Sarasota Rams and Riverview takes on Palmetto in MLK Classic tourney action. Morgan hosts the 14-4 Jesuit Tigers in 5A District action. On Monday, Jan. 19, Riverview plays the 11-4 Charlotte Tarpons and Lennard takes the court against 13-1 Cardinal Mooney continuing in the MLK Classic tournament at Booker HS. East Bay takes on the SLAM Spartans at Fivay HS.
Stingray junior Isaiah Almondovar checks Spoto junior Kelier Cintron in game action on Tuesday, Jan. 6 in the Stingray home win over the Spartans.
Tuesday, Jan. 20, all SS6 teams see action. Sumner heads into Tampa to play the Chamberlain Storm. Spoto hosts struggling 2-14 Alonso. East Bay welcomes 15-3 Armwood Hawks who are looking to replicate the success of their football team this past fall. Hillsborough completes their tour of the SS6 visiting the Morgan Mustangs in a district match-up. The Mustangs are in a stretch of six home games in a row. Riverview plays a home game vs Brandon. And Lennard takes to the road to play the Freedom Patriots.
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