District Playoffs: 6A-14 Notebook (Part 1)

I stopped by St. Thomas Aquinas High School for the 6A-14 district playoffs. Host school and top seed St. Thomas Aquinas received a first round bye. Here is a rundown of Tuesday’s scores: #5 Boyd Anderson 47, #4 Piper 44 (OT) #3 Dillard 60, #6 Nova 30 #2 Blanche Ely 94, #7 Plantation 10 #1 St. Thomas Aquinas will face Boyd Anderson on Wednesday @ 730 pm. Blanche Ely will face rival Dillard on Wednesday @ 6:00 pm. [player_tooltip player_id="91561" first="Michiyah" last="Simmons"] - Blanche Ely 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="91561" first="Michiyah" last="Simmons"] was explosive from the free-throw line to the basket. The 5-foot-8 combo guard displayed a strong handle and finish on her way to the rim. Moreover, Simmons had an array of moves at the bucket. I was very impressed with her quickness throughout the game. It took me a play to see her upside. <span style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">She averaged nearly 15 points as a junior. Simmons also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.4 steals. She is an all-around playmaker.</span> [player_tooltip player_id="91563" first="Mya" last="Kone"] - Blanche Ely 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="91563" first="Mya" last="Kone"] runs the floor extremely well for a 6-foot-2 wing/forward. Moreover, I thought her handle in the open floor was solid. Kone’s natural frame and length was too much for Plantation. She was able to grab rebounds and finish near the rim with ease. Furthermore, I thought Kone did a nice job offensively with her back to the basket. She scored her 1000th career point during the contest. Kone offers a lot of versatility on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id="243930" first="Ashleigh" last="Battle"] - Blanche Ely 2022 [player_tooltip player_id="243930" first="Ashleigh" last="Battle"] did a nice job in the backcourt. The 5-foot-2 point guard created steals and was on from the perimeter. Specifically, Battle knocked down corner shots with little resistance. She’s a tough guard that moves well with the ball in her hands. In addition, Battle has good court awareness and vision while on the floor. I saw a lot of her when she was at Cardinal Gibbons and her solid play has carried over to Ely. Gabriel King - Dillard 2026 Gabriel King finished with 14 points and hit two 3-pointers against Nova. I thought King did a nice job finding space out on the perimeter and executing. She has a good handle and gives Dillard nice depth. The Panthers were without many of their top players due to injury and King stepped up on offense. She came into the game averaging just over five points per game. King could use this game as a building block for what appears to be a very bright future. [player_tooltip player_id="243928" first="Madisyn" last="McLeod"] - Nova 2023 [player_tooltip player_id="243928" first="Madisyn" last="McLeod"] has good size at guard. The 5-foot-9 McLeod did a nice job grabbing boards and made a few solid passes in the open floor. While she didn’t put up a ton of points, I thought her execution to attack the rim was there. McLeod has the frame to get to her spot in the lane. I think she should keep the ball on the floor and not stop her dribble. McLeod should utilize her height/frame.<span style="font-size: 1rem; -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"> She connected on one of her 3-point attempts. McLeod has skill with another season to improve. Watch out for her as a senior.</span> For any South Florida Prep Girls Hoops news or information...please contact Michael Costeines @Steins_23 on Instagram or follow him on Twitter @Mungertown_Mike23