Palm Beach Gardens girls basketball battles without injured top player to beat Martin County
PALM BEACH GARDENS — Palm Beach Gardens girls basketball escaped Martin County 41-40 on Friday night thanks to a late fourth quarter basket by Jaliyah Magwood.
The largest point deficit in the game came early on in the first quarter when Palm Beach Gardens led 14-6. From there on out, no point differential was larger than four points the remainder of the game with a back and forth battle for the lead.
Riding on the tails of a seven game win streak, Gardens had all the momentum on their side going into Friday night’s matchup. They were, however, playing without their senior captain Kyana Portier, who was out with an injury.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game for us. We’re down Kyana which was a huge loss for us, but this group is so close and they just don't give up,” Gardens head coach Jessica Salera said.
Before she got hurt, Portier was leading the team in total points, total rebounds, points per game, rebounds per game, and FG%. “We’re just trying to do it for her and take care of business as much as we can until we can get her back on the court,” Salera said.
On the other side of the ball, the Tigers were also missing a key player in sophomore Katelyn Tanis due to injury. Unlike the Gators finding ways to win without Portier, the Tigers have lost four of the last five without Tanis. Still, Martin County pushed Gardens to the brink and came up just short.
For the Gators, it was a full team effort to secure their eighth straight win. They spread the ball around evenly on offense and played tough on defense as they exchanged possessions with the Tigers.
With only five games left in the regular season, Gardens has their sights set on making a playoff run. “We’re just going to keep trying to get better everyday and keep being us. We try to stay true to who we are and the way we play. This group is a really cool group because on any given night, a different player can step up. I’m really proud of them,” said Salera.
Next up, Palm Beach Gardens will host Palm Beach Central and Martin County will look to rebound against Centennial at their home court
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Gardens girls basketball battles without injured top player
