Girls District Basketball
Viera 56, Heritage 47
VIERA– Lauren Bell scored 20 points to help Viera win the district 8-6A championship over Heritage 56-47.
Heritage (12-15) opened the game up with a quick run and jumped ahead 6-2.
Emma Agcaoili knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to put the Hawks in front with less than five minutes left in the quarter. Viera (13-10) ended the first quarter with a 15-13 lead.
In the second quarter both teams picked up the pace defensively, but Viera was able to build a 10 point lead at halftime after Phantasia Lauriston scored on a fast break. Lauriston finished with 14 points.
“I loved the way they handled everything that Heritage threw at us,” Viera head coach Joshua Cramer said. “Because they threw a lot of pressure at us.”
Heritage chipped away Viera’s lead in the third quarter after Zora Hardison made 3-pointer to bring the Panthers within six points. Hardison ended the game with 10 points.
As the quarter was winding down, Peyton Smith made a another big 3-pointer for Heritage and cut the Hawks’ lead down to 41-38.
Viera managed to put together another run in the fourth quarter and claim the district title.
Bell said this game meant a lot to the team because they wanted to win the district championship for the seniors.
“We don’t ever give up on each other, we always pick each other up,” Bell said. “I’m just so happy we could bring it home for the seniors.”
Okeechobee 47, Rockledge 36
OKEECHOBEE — At times it wasn’t pretty for Okeechobee during Friday’s District 13-5A title game, but hanging their hat on defense like they have all season is a tactic the Brahmans could ride long into the postseason.
Leading from start to finish, Okeechobee dispatched Rockledge 47-36 to win their second straight district title and will begin their state playoff run on their home court.
The two teams did not meet in the regular season and early on, neither offense generated quality possessions on offense with the length that both teams featured in their starting lineups.
The Brahmans (17-4) held a 9-8 lead after the first quarter and still were sputtering on offense in the second quarter until the final minute of play where Morgan Tucker hit a 3-pointer and Ashukamayah Phillips converted a steal into a coast-to-coast layup for a 5-0 spurt to put Okeechobee on top 24-19 at halftime.
Going over three minutes without scoring to start the third quarter, the Raiders (15-9) hung tough without letting the game get away from them led by the play of forward Gabrielle Burnett and only trailed 31-26 entering the final quarter.
Okeechobee finally put distance between themselves and Rockledge as a Leta Adamo 3-pointer midway through the quarter pushed the Brahmans out to a 40-29 lead and they never were threatened the rest of the way.
With their success from last year reaching a regional semifinal, Okeechobee head coach Jovanny Torres feels confident his girls can go further with the same core cast and the addition of Neal as a freshman center who can take over games.
Starting at home with their opponent to be officially determined Saturday afternoon by the FHSAA, Torres is hopeful his team can hit on all cylinders starting with their regional quarterfinal.
“Our shooters weren’t really on tonight, we did hit a couple at big moments and if our shooters are on, we probably could have scored 70 points,” Torres said. “If we can get our shooters locked in and hit shots, I don’t think anyone can touch us. Because of our low post game with McKenzie, high post where Semaj (Jasper) is so hard to guard, when they overplay her, she knows where to get it to McKenzie.”
Neal scored 10 points and Jasper added nine points but leading the way for Okeechobee was its senior leader in the backcourt.
Jasmine Shanks, who signed to continue her career earlier in the week at Blackburn College in Illinois, scored 13 points and despite the victory felt like her team came in with a bit too much confidence that she hopes they can reign in knowing that they are a team people know that is capable of big things.
“After last year winning districts, I feel like we have an ‘X’ on our backs and now we need to stick with things and not get ahead of ourselves,” Shanks said. “If we stay away from silly plays and focus on what we do well, we’re going to do well.”
Burnett was the lone player in double figures for Rockledge with a game-high 14 points as the Raiders will await to see if they will earn an at-large bid to the state tournament with Saturday’s afternoon’s reveal by the FHSAA of the brackets.
-Bryan Cooney, TCPalm
Palm Bay 44, Cocoa 36
Palm Bay won the district 8-4A championship after defeating Cocoa 36-44.
Emma Risch led the Pirates with 16 points. Jazmine Major, Alonya Waldon and Kiara Williams all finished with eight points.
Victoria Zidor was the leading scorer for Cocoa with 18 points.
The Pirates close the regular season with a record of 18-5. They will host their regional quarterfinal matchup on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.
Cocoa finishes the regular season with a record of 16-8.
Boys Basketball
Merritt Island Christian 69, Liberty Baptist 20
Merritt Island Christian (16-8): Kaleb Edwards 16 pts, Nathan Nevad 15 pts.
Liberty Baptist: Jahir Baptiste 10 pts.
Melbourne 68, Treasure Coast 59
Melbourne (18-6): Carlin Gelin 22 pts, Nate King 20 pts.
Treasure Coast (12-9): Tyson Wilson 19 pts.
Coaches can email results to FLORIDA TODAY at [email protected]. Follow @321Preps on Twitter and Instagram.
