By FRANCIS FEDOR
The Stingray boys (17-10), after their big win on the road against Plant, were awarded with a five-seed in their regional state playoffs bracket. They drew Lehigh (23-5), who came in as the four-seed, but by virtue of the Stingrays being district champions, they were the host for the opening round. The game was played at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14. There was no love on the court in an exhilarating 57-53 victory in the Tank. The Lightning led the Stingrays after the first period, but it was the home gym Rays that changed the momentum and built an 18 point lead at the half. The Lightning were not ready to concede, started pressuring the Stingrays, and Lehigh whittled the lead down to 12 to open the final stanza. Both teams had to manage foul trouble with their key players, and, in the case of the Stingrays, Karson Coleman sat much of the fourth with four fouls. Coleman, despite foul trouble, was the leading scorer with 25 points in the win. Coach Gaddis clearly wanted to save one of his stars for crunch time and offensive possessions. As the game wound to its conclusion, there were tense moments in the Tank. Lehigh ratcheted up the pressure, and the Rays struggled to inbound and had a number of cross court passes intercepted. The Lightning sensed an opening, but when it mattered the most, with six seconds left in the game, Jacob Marsielle found Benard Anson beyond half court. Anson ran out the clock, kicking off the on-court celebration. The Stingrays travel to Sarasota to face the top seeded Sailors on Feb. 21, scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip.
Sumner junior Jacob Marseille made an attempt at poking the ball away from the Lehigh player but was called for the foul in regional semi-final win on Feb. 14.
Coach Gaddis and Karson Coleman talk late game strategy while balancing foul trouble in regional semi-final win.
Sumner girls basketball opened state playoffs as a regional three seed on Friday, Feb. 13, hosting Sarasota (six seed) in the Tank and coming away with a 48-45 win. The Stingray girls had defeated Sarasota on Jan. 12, 63-59, providing them with a blueprint for replicating that success in the first round of the playoffs. Coach Starks worked to schedule teams the Rays could face in the state playoffs, and it paid off on Friday night. Sarasota got off to a fast start and led by seven at the half. But the Rays kept it close enough to rally to score 25 points in the second half to seal the victory. With the win they secured a second-round regional match-up against Haines City on Feb. 20. The Stingrays lost to Haines City on Jan. 5, 69-59, but having played them provides a familiarity that Coach Starks will use to generate a plan of attack.
Francis Fedor Photos
Stingray Immanuel Kelly looks to control the ball while the Lightning players look to tie up the ball for a jump ball in semi-final regional game on Feb. 14
Another South Shore Six girls’ squad, East Bay, was rewarded for its 14-10 season with a berth in the state regionals as a seven seed, matched up against Clearwater, a team they had lost to just before Christmas, 72-42. East Bay stayed closer to the Tornadoes in the rematch but still could not pull off the upset of two-seeded Clearwater.
Stingray Bennard Anson secured the ball on a long inbound pass and ran out the clock to seal Sumner’s regional semi-final win on Feb. 14.
The Indians made their case for a state playoff berth with a 49-13 5A District 9 first round win over SS6 rival Spoto before falling to Hillsborough (the eventual district champion) in the second round, 56-51. East Bay had a successful run through its SS6 competition, winning 4 of 5 match-ups, with its only SS6 loss at Sumner to open the season. The Indians finished the season strong, winning seven in a row from Jan. 9 to Jan. 27 with impressive back-to-back home wins over strong Wharton and Armwood squads. Wharton also advanced into the state playoffs. The Indians will be able to look back at a season that they can consider a success.
Story or any parts of the story are copyright protected, including AI revisions, without permission of the editor. Full game gallery available for purchase at https://www.maxpreps.com/photography/photographers/ Florida-Francis Fedor Photography/Graphics Inquiries: Email: FrancisFotography@Outlook.com Phone: 202-683-9691