By FRANCIS FEDOR
The Hillsborough County district playoffs got underway on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with the South Shore Six (SS6) looking to advance into the state regional playoffs. A number of SS6 teams faced off against each other. Starting with a game played at Spoto, the Spartans ended the Morgan Mustangs season with a 58-31 win. The 31 points were the lowest point total of the season for a team that averaged 59 points a game on offense. The previous low was 44, twice during the regular season against Jesuit and East Bay. The Spartans put the game away with a 21-9 third quarter to move to the next round of districts. Morgan will take a number of positives into next season under its head coach, Caleb Summerville, after the experience of this inaugural season.
Francis Fedor Photos
The Lady Stingrays pose with the trophy after their thrilling district championship win over Palm Harbor University Hurricanes on Friday, Feb. 6.
The first of two celebrations on a night when Sumner ladies basketball won its second district championship in three seasons. London Arthur, being hugged, fed Camryn Jeter (next to Arthur) for the basket that sent the game into overtime.
In the other head-to-head district playoff match-up, Lennard won a thriller over Riverview, 64-63, ending the Sharks’ season and getting the Longhorns a good first-round win for coach Christopher Putnam. East Bay, the other SS6 team in action on Wednesday night, picked up a first-round win over Southeast, 70-56, to advance.
On Thursday night, Feb. 5, the Sumner Stingrays opened their playoff action by demolishing Palm Harbor University (PHU), 58-13, in a game played at Plant High School. In the way the playoffs are setup in the district, the highest seed in the bracket hosts both their own game and the other game that night. The Rays took command early, scoring 30 in the first half and holding PHU to 10. Sumner held PHU scoreless in the third and scored 21, to put a running clock in place that sent the Hurricanes to the offseason. Karson Coleman scored 18 in the win, setting up a rematch of last season’s district final pitting the Stingrays against Plant. The Panthers ended Lennard’s season with a 70-32 win.
Coach Marika Starks enjoys a moment on the court as the team wrapped up pregame before the thrilling district championship win over Palm Harbor University Hurricanes on Friday, Feb. 6.
Sumner #14 gets around the Palm Harbor defender on her way to the basket in thrilling district championship win over Palm Harbor University Hurricanes on Friday, Feb. 6.
Spoto traveled to Jesuit and could not pull off the upset of the top seeded Tigers, losing 80-58. In the same bracket, 5A District 9, East Bay fell to Braden River, 48-29, setting up a 1 vs 2 match up between Jesuit and the Pirates.
The Sumner lady’s basketball squad used its number one seed status to host Riverview at home on Feb. 4 and dominated the Sharks in a 48-11 win. The win catapulted the Stingrays into the district final game with the Palm Harbor University (PHU) Hurricanes. PHU opened the scoring in what was a wild game that crowned Sumner as the district champions. The Stingrays never led by more than five points and at times trailed by as much as four to PHU. The Hurricanes held a slim two-point lead with 46 seconds left when London Arthur stole the ball and fed Cameryn Jeter for the game tying layup, sending the game into overtime. The Stingrays controlled the four-minute extra period and claimed the second district championship in the past three years, turning the tables on PHU, the team that beat out the Stingrays for the 2025 7A District 11 crown. Mariah Farmer scored 18 in the win with freshman Kendal Curtis adding 14.
The Stingray men followed-up the ladies district championship with their own crown the very next night, taking down the Plant Panthers, and, much like the ladies, flipping the script from the year before where the Panthers raised the trophy. Sumner carried its momentum from the win over PHU and tallied a 58-48 victory to bring the trophy back to the Tank where it will reside in the school’s trophy case. The Rays led at halftime 26-20, but it was a clutch 20-14 fourth quarter that kicked off the celebration. Bennard Anson scored 18, including nailing three three-pointers, and Nasir Tim added 15 and also connected on three shots from beyond the arc.
Sumner Boys Basketball photo
Coach Augustine Gaddis and his Stingray squad pose for a team shot after their district championship win at Plant on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Coach Gaddis emphasized that the mission is not complete and offered that they battled injury and sickness and only had eight available bodies. But the team found a way to prevail against a top ranked, tough, well coached and disciplined Plant team. It speaks volumes about the character of the Sumner team. The 2025-2026 team wanted to avenge a crushing defeat from last year against Plant in the district championship and become district champions. Like the ladies, it is the 2nd district championship in the Sumner boy’s short basketball history (1st district championship was in 2024). Gaddis and the team now are focused on a regional championship with the end goal of being state champs, one game at a time. That journey begins Saturday, Feb 14th. Coach Gaddis lauded, “You have to believe! Seniors Devin Houston, Bennard Anson, Nasir Tim, Keondre Barton, Aiden Higginbotham and Evan Neighbors are making their senior year one to remember.”
Both Stingray teams will now await whom they will open up against in the state regionals, which were announced on Monday at 2 p.m. in a YouTube FHSAA Release Show.
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