Bradenton Bash: IMG Outlasts Southeast
In a game against two very different schools/teams located in Bradenton, IMG took home the victory in a fierce battle that lasted until the buzzer. Southeast lead for a majority of this game, but IMG just needed some time to shake off the rust in their season-opening game. For 3 quarters, the Seminoles lead the Ascenders by scores of: 12-6, 28-25, and 42-40 before IMG took control in the 4th by securing a 61-56 victory.
<span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>IMG Ascends</strong></span>
IMG had four players on the bench with injuries with Aicha Coulibaly and Ava Toone being 2 of them, but that didn't stop this team on Friday night. The best player in this game was <strong>Liz Smith</strong>, hands down. The Pacific commit led all scorers with 19 points on four 3-pointers. She is one of the best defenders I've seen, can score at all three levels, and there really isn't enough good things you can say about her game. Liz had help from <strong>Cierra Christian</strong> who had 15 points against a smaller Southeast team. I really liked her overall game, especially the shot blocking and ability to score around the rim. Another Ascender who impressed was <strong>Ariel Loiter</strong> who distributed the ball well and scored from all over with 14 points. Once this team got going, they really moved the ball around and also made it hard for Southeast to do anything on the other end.
<span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong>Southeast Falls Short</strong></span>
This Seminoles team did not back down against a powerful team like we know IMG should be. It was a good early season test for Southeast who played a tight game. <strong>Perryauna Youmans</strong> led the way for Southeast with 15 points, but struggled shooting free throws down the stretch. She is a gifted scorer who wasn't hitting from deep, so she used her handles to create and drive to the hoop where she is hard to stop. <strong>Ce'Mya Brooks</strong> scored a majority of her 14 points in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter. She hit a big three and had four strong moves to the bucket that led to big scores in crunch time including a nifty spin move. <strong>Kayla McDuffie</strong> also had some clutch points with 9 of her 11 coming from behind the arc. She's a tough defender and can hit the trey from deep. The only Senior who made much of an impact in this game was <strong>Mikera Patton</strong> who contributed 9 points on some nice scores for the Noles, but they came up just short of a big win.
IMG (1-0) will head to Dallas next for the She's Got Game Classic from Dec. 5-8. Southeast (2-1) has two tough games coming up at Clearwater on Dec. 4 and against Sandalwood on Dec. 7 in the Lakewood Shootout.
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