Queen of Palms Day 1: ECS, Faith Christian, Vero Beach, Haines City, Lemon Bay, Pikeville win

A roundup of games played on Day 1 at the Queen of Palms, held at Evangelical Christian School on Monday, Dec. 27:

ECS 43, First Baptist 24

After a competitive bout in the first half between Private 8 rivals, ECS and its press defense contained the Lions in the second half.

Dwayne Donnell's group stiffened, and limited the Lions to just three points in the second half, winning comfortably over the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.

In a game where the Lions were behind much of the game, they closed the first half strong, taking a brief 13-12 lead before ECS standout Zaira Mitchell got a shot off before the buzzer that went in. She finished with a game-high 17 points, while adding four rebounds.

"We practiced one time (after Christmas)," Donnell said. "There's some fumbling and stumbling. It's frustrating, but we understand the kids have been out. I thought we did a much better job defensively in the second half. In the first half, they were just driving to our basket at will. In the second half, we slowed that down and did a much better job defensively against them."

First Baptist senior Grace Dean had just under 46% of the team's scoring, with 11 points and three rebounds. Maleda Azunque had four points and a game-high seven rebounds.

A positive sign for the Sentinels was the return of Maddie O'Berski. The freshman, who hadn't played in nearly a month because of a nagging foot injury, was eased into action in a pair rotations that spanned close to 90 seconds each. She was welcomed by a strong ovation from the ECS faithful and finished with no points, but grabbed two rebounds.

"Anybody would be a fool not to be excited that Maddie O'Berski's not back in a uniform," Donnell said. "She did get her opportunity to play in the game and fill some time. She's out of playing shape, she's out of game shape. Just having her out there, playing with a kid that's supposed to be your best kid, I was very pleased and thankful, and hopefully she'll be able to get more minutes."

Isabelle Mitchell was second on the Sentinels (12-2) in scoring, with nine points, while China Jenkins and Hailey Figueroa each had six.

The Lions (3-4) will play Tuesday morning against Golden Gate (6-7), while ECS is off.

Haines City 67, Central Florida Christian 60

Despite an impressive effort from Talia Kemp, who scored 38 points for the Eagles, the No. 1 team in Class 2A couldn't match the Hornets's size and physicality on the boards.

Haines City, which entered the latest FHSAA rankings at No. 56 in the state and No. 12 in Class 7A, had three scorers eclipse double figures and made things tough for Central Florida Christian, which was No. 10 in the state entering the game.

For the Hornets, Arissa Jenkins and Mya Lomax both had 19 points, while Layla Acosta had 17. Aside from Kemp's 38 points, Jay Swift was the next highest scorer, with eight points.

Seventh-grade point guard Aubrey Satterfield showed flashes of being a standout point guard in the state, displaying impressive passes, and a high IQ. Satterfield had a stepback trey in the fourth quarter, which were her only points of the game, but she helped create good looks for teammates, including Kemp, who had 20 second-half points.

Vero Beach 51, Gateway Charter 17

The Vero defense clamped down and dealt the Griffins their second loss of the season, winning comfortably in their first of three games in Fort Myers.

In a game where Gateway Charter scored two points in three of the four quarters played, Vero's transition offense was too much. Jaida Civil, a 5-foot-11 freshman, posted a game-high 17 points.

"We started pretty slow and pretty rusty with the winter break and everything, not playing a game in a couple of weeks," Vero Beach coach Kayla Woulard said. "I'm not too upset, I'm happy that we were able to get a win, but there's still a lot of room for our team to grow."

At halftime, Vero Beach led 20-4 behind Ella Cone, who had 10 first-half points.

Gateway Charter wouldn't back down though, putting up 11 points out of halftime in the third quarter. Kellisia Grant had seven of those points, and finished with 11.

Vero will play Port Charlotte on Tuesday at 1:30, while Gateway Charter looks to rebound against Lemon Bay at 3.

Faith Christian 49, Indian Hill (Ohio) 29

The Lions, ranked 18th in the state and No. 2 in Class 2A, had little problems in the second half against the Braves.

After a first half where Faith Christian led 17-16, it outscored Indian Hill 32-13 in the second half to win comfortably in the quarterfinal round of the Ruby Division in the Queen of Palms.

Freshman point guard Victoria Rodriguez and sophomore Dezmariah Soto led the charge for the Lions, as both finished with 18 points. Rodriguez had 13 second-half points, while Soto had 11.

Faith Christian advances to the semifinals, where it will play Haines City.

Pikeville (Ky.) 67, Port Charlotte 38

The Panthers dominated from the opening tip, handling business in the final game on Day 1 of the Queen of Palms.

Pikeville built a 15-5 lead in the opening period before leading 27-16 at the half. From there, the Panthers scored 40 second-half points to leave no doubt about the outcome.

Pikeville's Trinity Rowe finished with 14 points, while Kristen Whited totaled 11. Four other scorers were on the cusp of joining Rowe and Whited in double figures.

In the loss for Port Charlotte, Yanisa Hall had 14 points.

The Pirates will play Vero Beach at 1:30 on Tuesday, while Pikeville will take on Naples in the Ruby Division semis on Tuesday at 6.

Other scores: Lemon Bay 40, Golden Gate 24

Follow Southwest Florida Sports Writer Alex Martin on Twitter: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Queen of Palms: ECS, Faith Christian, Vero Beach, Haines City win