High school roundup (Jan. 22-27): Riverview boys grind out a win over Braden River, 46-42
FRIDAY
BOYS BASKETBALL
Riverview 46, Braden River 42
BRADENTON − In a game where both teams lacked energy early, the Riverview High boys basketball team found a spark in a defensive change.
The Rams switched from a zone to man-to-man which gave them more life, and they went on to a 46-42 victory over host Braden River High on Friday night.
“We came out in a zone and we were a little flat in that zone,” Riverview coach Brandon Knecht said. “We went man and they did a great job since we went man. They did a good job of staying in front of their man and being solid.”
From the beginning of the second quarter to the middle of the third, the Riverview defense allowed 10 points.
That also was the period when the Rams took the lead for good.
A 6-0 run fueled by points from four different players gave Riverview a 22-17 lead late in the second quarter, an advantage it did not relinquish.
Ranked 108th in the state by the Florida High School Athletic Association power rankings, the Pirates (14-8) got to within 33-32 on a three-point play by Jacobi Murray.
Ranked 172nd in the state by the FHSAA, the Rams (14-7) then scored the final point of the third quarter and the first six of the fourth to open their biggest lead of the night at 40-32.
Braden River did not get closer than four the rest of the way.
“We took care of the basketball,” Knecht said. “We turned it over in the first half a lot. We’ve been working on playing through those traps in practice and it paid off in a game like this.”
Honored for scoring his 1,000th career point before the game, Pirates senior Marcus Schade scored six straight points during an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter to get Braden River off to a 12-5 lead.
“We were trying to band together, trying to unite. The energy was kinda low and we were trying to fix it up some,” Braden River assistant coach Jerome Murray said. “We tried to do different things. We tried to mix it up, but it just really didn’t click tonight.”
Gamble, a 6-foot-5 junior, led the Rams with 14 points and was a demon on both backboards, getting offensive rebounds and keeping possessions alive.
“He’s done that all year,” Knecht said. “Rhys has been a monster on the board. I’m really proud of how hard he works down there.”
“We didn’t box out very well,” Murray said. “We didn’t attack the boards very well. We just kinda waited on people to grab it. The other team was more aggressive.”
Jeremiah Dawson chipped in with 10 points, and Josh Harris finished with nine points.
Schade led all scorers with 18 points. Murray also reached double digits in scoring with 11.
“Usually we’re probably shooing the ball pretty decently, but tonight it seemed like it had a lid on the rim,” Murray said. “It was just one of those nights.”
Braden River looks to snap its two-game losing streak Wednesday at home against Sumter High and closes the regular season Thursday against Shorecrest Prep, both on its home court.
Winners of two straight, Riverview ends the regular season with three straight home games against Sarasota High on Monday, Sarasota Christian on Tuesday and Lakewood Ranch High on Friday.
“Gritty win,” Knecht said after the Rams posted their fifth straight win over Braden River and improved to 17-3 over the Pirates since 2009. “You’re going to do that if you want to win in districts.”
− Dennis Maffezzoli
Sarasota Christian 59. Cambridge 46
AT: Sarasota Christian
TOP PLAYERS: (SC) Ben Milliken 18 poimnts, Matthias Hulka 16 points, Josh Frazzini 11 points, Randall Collins 4 points
RECORD: Sarasota Christian 15-7
NEXT: Sarasota Christian at Riverview, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Booker 64, North Port 56
AT: Booker
TOP PLAYERS: Jovan Palavra 25 points, Jamareon Ruffin 16 points
RECORD: Booker 13-9
NEXT: Booker at Parrish Community, Monday. 7:30 p.m.
Sarasota 67, Venice 51
AT: Venice
TOP PLAYERS: (S) Mike Drayton 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists; Oliver Boyle 12 points, 7 rebounds; Franklin Liriano 12 points, 4 assists
RECORD: Sarasota 19-2
NEXT: Sarasota at Riverview, Monday. 7:30 p.m.
Cardinal Mooney 66, Seffner Christian 54
AT: Cardinal Mooney
TOP PLAYERS: (CM) Connor Heald 25 points, Kevin O'Donoghue 13 points, Joseph Gilson 12 points
RECORD: Cardinal Mooney 15-7
NEXT: Cardinal Mooney at Mitchell, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Imagine School at North Port 75, Saint Stephen's 51
AT: Imagine School
TOP PLAYERS: (IS) Angelo Blas 25 points, Jordan Kirkus 11 points, JJ Hall 10 points
RECORD: Imagine School 9-12
NEXT: Imagine School at Parrish, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Sarasota 82, IMG Academy 59
AT: Sarasota
TOP PLAYERS: (S) Paisley Binswanger 22 points, 7 rebounds; Sofi Miller 15 points, 14 rebounds; Kennedy McClain 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists; Alyssia Bane 9 points; Tegan Hoffman 7 points; Ghita DiNota 6 points; Katelyn Barker 4 points; Haley LaGasse 2 points; Kaylee Morgan 2 points; Tyna Nugin 1 point
RECORD: Sarasota 15-6
NEXT: Sarasota hosts Charlotte, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
BOYS BASKETBALL
Cardinal Mooney 70, Braden River 60
AT: Cardinal Mooney
TOP PLAYERS: (CM) Connor Heald 26 points, Kevin O'Donoghue 17 points
RECORD: Cardinal Mooney 14-7
NEXT: Cardinal Mooney hosts Seffner Christian, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Booker 71, DeSoto 23
AT: DeSoto
TOP PLAYERS: (B) Jovan Palavra 14 points, Jamareon Ruffin 12 points
RECORD: Booker 12-9
NEXT: Booker hosts North Port, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Sarasota Christian 46, Cantebury School 39
AT: St. Petersburg
TOP PLAYERS: (SC) Randall Collins 13 points, Matthias Hulka 13 points, Ben Milliken 6 points, Justin Brock 5 points, Josh Frazzini 5 points, Trey Featherston 4 points
RECORD: Sarasota Christian 14-7
NEXT: Sarasota Christian hosts Cambridge Christian, Friday, 7 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Class 7A-District 8
Lakewood Ranch 4, Venice 2
Sarasota 5, Lehigh 0
WEDNESDAY
BOYS BASKETBALL
Booker 82, Bayshore 46
AT: Booker
TOP PLAYERS: (BK) Jovan Palavra 15 points, Jamareon Ruffin 15 points, Darius Behn 12, JP Lattimore 11 points
RECORD: Booker 11-9
NEXT: Booker at DeSoto, Thursday, 8 p.m.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Sarasota 61, Port Charlotte 48
AT: Sarasota
TOP PLAYERS: (S) Paisley Binswanger 18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists; Ghita DiNota 16 points; Kennedy McClain 12 points, 6 rebounds; Sofi Miller 10 points, 12 rebounds
RECORD: Sarasota 14-6
NEXT: Sarasota hosts IMG, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Sarasota 83, Parrish Community 61
SARASOTA − It was an eventful night for the Sarasota High girls basketball team.
At halftime, the Sailors honored their five seniors: Madison McDonald, Tyna Nugin, Alyssia Bane, Kennedy McClain and Katelyn Barker.
In the third quarter, McClain became the second Sarasota High player to reach the 1,000-point mark this season, joining Sofi Miller.
Oh, and the Sailors defeated Parrish Community, 83-61, to end a two-game losing streak Thursday at Eddie Howell Gymnasium.
Coach Radhika Miller started the five seniors only to have the Bulls score the first eight points.
“To be able to start the seniors, I wanted them to play together for a few minutes,” Coach Miller said. “Then we brought our second group, our first group, in.”
With 2 minutes, 2 seconds elapsed, the Sarasota starters entered and went on an 11-0 run.
The Bulls (14-6) did not go away, as there were four lead changes and a tie in the first quarter that saw Parrish Community owning a 23-22 lead.
It took a 16-0 spurt to start the second quarter that opened some distance for the Sailors, who took a 42-29 lead at halftime.
“I’m so glad to see our press back,” Coach Miller said. “We had fallen away from our intensity in the front court. We kinda put our offense away for a few days in practice, and we focused on our press, forcing the ball left and right. I was pleased with our defensive pressure.”
It was Sarasota’s pressure defense that prevented Parrish Community from not only taking shots, but getting shots. And the Sailors also ruled both backboards.
“Our biggest thing was we weren’t controlling the board like we have been in the past,” Bulls coach Kristy Cummins said. “Between the 18 turnovers in the first half and not getting offensive rebounds, that killed us.”
With 4:27 left in the third quarter, McClain drove to the basket and was fouled as she made the layup. The Sarasota bench erupted onto the court to join the celebration.
“She knocked it down,” Coach Miller said of McClain.
After Mary Portwood made the two technical free throws, it pulled Parrish Community within 20, so the celebration was worth it.
Sarasota kept passing the ball and looking for the open shot to the point where four of the five seniors reached the scoring column.
“Your first group of seniors is always so special,” Coach Miller said. “Each one of those have left a mark on this team, a legacy.”
McClain, who had 17 points in the first half, led the way with 29 points, including seven 3-pointers. Sofi Miller added 16 points, Ghita DiNota 11 and Paisley Binswanger 10 for the Sailors.
“We moved the ball and looked for each other,” Coach Miller said.
Freshman Jayna Bowen scored 20 points to lead Parrish Community, which lost 71-28 to the Sailors on Nov. 28 at home. Senior Sarah Decker notched all 11 of her points in the first half for the Bulls, who return to action Thursday at North Port High.
“If we score 61 points, we shouldn’t be losing,” Cummins said. “Our defense and clearing the boards. A much better effort tonight, but it wasn’t our best.”
Sarasota, which has a game Tuesday at home against Port Charlotte High, will honor Sofi Miller before Friday’s game against IMG Academy and McClain in the regular season finale Feb. 2 against Cardinal Mooney Catholic High. Ironically, McClain began her high school career at Cardinal Mooney before transferring to Sarasota.
“We’ve not done,” Coach Miller said. “We’ve got some stuff to do.”
The Sailors did get some things on their to-do list out of the way Monday.
− Dennis Maffezzoli
BOYS BASKETBALL
Indian Rocks Christian 54, Sarasota Christian 50
AT: Sarasota Christian
TOP PLAYERS: (SC) Matthias Hulka 18 points, Josh Frazzini 15 points, Randall Collins 8 points, Ben Milliken 6 points, Justin Brock 3 points, Trey Featherston 2 points
RECORD: Sarasota Christian 13-7
NEXT: Sarasota Christian at St. Petersburg Canterbury, Thursdayu, 7 p.m.
Riverview 71, Gulf Coast 50
AT: Riverview
TOP PLAYERS: (R) Josh Harris 19 points, Jeremiah Dawson 16 points, Jackson King 12 points
RECORD: Riverview 13-7
NEXT: Riverview at Braden River, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Parrish Community 58, Saint Stephen's 49
AT: Saint Stephen's
TOP PLAYERS: (P) Dylan Higgins 21 points, Malakai Cuffy 14 points, Jamaal George 11 points
RECORD: Parrish 15-6
NEXT: Parrish hosts Booker, Monday, 7:30 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota Manatee high school sports roundup for the week of Jan. 22-27
