Manatee Makes History: Hurricanes Hold On Against Palmetto
Two teams from south of the Skyway Bridge made the trip up to St. Pete with the bridge closed for the 6A District 10 championship. This logistical issue caused both teams to make a 2-3 hour trip instead of a…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingTwo teams from south of the Skyway Bridge made the trip up to St. Pete with the bridge closed for the 6A District 10 championship. This logistical issue caused both teams to make a 2-3 hour trip instead of a 30-45 minute trip by having to come up through Tampa. The game time was moved up from 7pm to 6pm with bad weather coming later in the night, but then was moved back to a 6:45 tip with that long drive causing the teams and fans to be later than expected.
I showed up at around 5:50 before knowing the game time had changed to 6:45, but I figured it out when I walked in at the same time with both of the teams. There were also only about five to ten people in the gym, so it was safe to say it was being pushed to a later start. The game finally tipped off, and here is a brief recap and some standout players from the game:
Final Score: Manatee – 49, Palmetto – 36
Palmetto came out with some intensity in a game that started in an odd fashion with everything going on. They had a 6-1 lead and finished the quarter up 8 to 7. Manatee wouldn’t let them have another lead though. It was a low scoring first half with the Canes taking a 16 to 12 lead into the break over the Tigers. The third quarter was huge for Manatee as they outscored Palmetto by a score of 23 to 4 with a couple big scoring runs that put the score at 39-16 with little hope for the Tigers. However, they did show a lot of life and outscored Manatee by ten in the final quarter making it a respectable score of 49 to 36. Congrats to Manatee on winning their first district championship in 20 years! Also, a big congrats to Palmetto who only won 4 games last year as opposed to 18 this year…wow!
Here are some of the players who stood out last night:
Manatee Hurricanes (18-7)
Ophelia Lidge (2020) – Ophelia was a big part of the third quarter dominance that Manatee had. She had 9 of her 13 points in the third by getting to the rim and using a tough mid range jumper. She’s a clear leader on this balanced, experienced team who also added 6 boards in the historic win.
Andrea Soto (2020) – Andrea was the best overall player in this game with her ability to distribute, shoot from anywhere, and play tough defense. She also contributed 13 points along with 4 steals and 3 assists. She’ll have to play a big role in the postseason for this team to have success.
Carly Paynter (2020) – Carly did not do a lot of scoring (6 points), but she was a tremendous presence for the Canes in the post. She finished with 14 rebounds and 2 blocks in an efficient night. The senior trio of Manatee has the capability to make some postseason noise with their automatic regional bid.
Keile O’Dell (2022) – There is also some good young talent on this team. Keile was the third player on the team with 13 points and the only Manatee player to hit a shot outside of the arch with three 3’s on the night. Keile also had 6 rebounds and 2 steals at some big moments for her team.
Tyniece Barclay (2022) – Tyniece is probably an overlooked player by some, but I’m certain her coaches and teammates are very thankful for her. She was all over the place with 12 boards, 5 steals, and 6 deflections as a tough Sophomore against a scrappy Palmetto team.
Palmetto Tigers (18-7)
Miya Allgood (2022) – Miya struggled at the free throw line, but she has a lot of potential as a post who led all scorers with 14 points. I was very impressed with her poise, strength, and rebounding as an underclassmen. She has a bright future if she puts in the work.
Diamond Mays (2021) – Diamond was another very talented player for Palmetto. She hit a couple of 3’s and contributed 10 in the tough loss. I really liked how smooth she was with it. Diamond will have to step up next year as a senior on a team that will return their two best players.