Prep Girls Hoops 10 Best: Southeast (Bradenton) vs. Winter Haven
The Lakewood Preseason Classic featured six teams from around the Western and Central parts of Florida. Lakewood now has a beautiful gym in south St. Petersburg that made for a great host of this tournament so each team can compete…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Lakewood Preseason Classic featured six teams from around the Western and Central parts of Florida. Lakewood now has a beautiful gym in south St. Petersburg that made for a great host of this tournament so each team can compete and shake the rust off. The top three teams by far were: Lakewood, Southeast (Bradenton), and Winter Haven. The last game of the night was between the Lady Blue Devils of Winter Haven and the Seminoles of Southeast. This game was the most intense, exciting game I’ve seen in a while and it was just the preseason! Winter Haven led by 12 in the first, 7 at half, 4 in the third, but ultimately lost by 3 to Southeast (Bradenton). On to the Best…
MVP: Perryauna Youmans (Southeast)
Perryauna did not lead all scorers, but she did lead her team with 24 points to make a tremendous comeback after being down 12 after one quarter. She was clutch from the free-throw line making 10 out of 12 from the charity stripe. Her shot wasn’t falling early on but she kept her confidence and swagger up throughout the game. Perryauna led this team on both ends of the court, and that’s why she is earning MVP of the game.
Best Offensive Performance: Kayla Smith (Winter Haven)
Kayla put on a show on the offensive end of the floor. She played good on D as well, but she put up 25 points on 7 of 8 from the FT line. Her left hand is smooth, and she can score from anywhere with a pretty stroke. Kayla will be one to watch as she develops in her career.
Best Defensive Performance: Charmaine Murray (Southeast)
Charmaine fouled out of the game with almost 6 minutes remaining, but she was the only size that the Seminoles had. She has a nice frame, and used it to her advantage against a thinner Blue Devils team. Charmaine protected the paint and rebounded well for her team to get the W.
Play of the Game: Jazmine Spencer’s drive to the hoop (Winter Haven)
It’s odd for a play of the game to be for the losing team, but Jazmine played a great game despite an injury and a couple foul-outs. The play that kept this in the game was a hard, strong drive to the left side of the court that she finished at the rim. I was very impressed with Jazmine’s skills last night.
Best Girl off the Bench: Zamarehia Heaven (Southeast)
Zamarehia and her goggles were a huge push from the bench on the Noles. She put up 6 points, and had a couple big rebounds during crunch time. Her ability to do things on both ends helped secure a big preseason win for Southeast.
Best Intangibles: Shomari Phillips (Winter Haven)
Shomari was on the floor for most of the game, and she used her length and athleticism to fluster the smaller Southeast team. She had some nice buckets and got up for boards, but her free-throw shooting was just a bit off.
Best Under-the-radar Performance: Ce’Mya Brooks (Southeast)
Ce’Mya played hard on defense, and really took care of the ball on offense against a Winter Haven team that pressures the guards. Southeast rested easy when she had the ball as she had great court vision and crisp handles.
Best Underclassmen: Kayla Smith (Winter Haven)
I have to give Kayla another award as she was one of the few underclassmen who made an impact in this game. It’s hard to believe she’s only a Sophomore this season. She’s continuing on an impressive summer, and will have a solid career that has just begun.
Best Aspect of the Environment: The Fans (Both Sides)
The fans on both sides of the court made this game even more entertaining! Love the passion in a heated, intense, and wild preseason game.
Best Shooter: Kayla McDuffie (Southeast)
Lights out. Kayla is a sharp-shooter with beautiful form. She did miss, but its wasn’t by much and it looked clean off of her hands. Do not leave her open.