Day 2 Difference Makers at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational
The first 8 games of the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational at Seffner Christian proved to be some very competitive games, and day 2 of games 9-16 was no different. I got to watch some players who I’ve already seen multiple…
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Continue ReadingThe first 8 games of the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational at Seffner Christian proved to be some very competitive games, and day 2 of games 9-16 was no different. I got to watch some players who I’ve already seen multiple times this year, and I got to see some teams that I had only seen play the day before. Here were the finals scores of the second round of games:
Clearwater Beach Bracket
Game 9 – Kaukauna (WI) – 60, Armwood – 57 (OT)
Game 10 – Heritage – 53, American Collegiate – 37
Game 11 – Luella (GA) – 44, Gulf Coast 39
Game 12 – Seffner Christian – 57, Nolensville (TN) – 54
St. Petersburg Beach Bracket
Game 13 – Brooks DeBartolo – 65, Marshall County (KY) – 47
Game 14 – Arlington Heights (TX) – 48, Colegio Adianez (PR) – 44
Game 15 – Florida Prep – 54, Saddle River (NJ) – 51
Game 16 – Spruce Creek – 62, Westlake (OH) – 46
Here are ten players who stood out the most on Day 2 of the extremely competitive and talent-packed Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational:
Taviyanna Habib (2021) Armwood – She started round 2 off slow, but ended the day with 18 points and a buzzer beater to send the game into overtime. They did not have an answer for Taviyanna who could get by anyone or rise above from long range.
Graysin Hartjes (2021) Kaukauna WI – She had an outstanding game and is the primary reason they beat Armwood in OT. Graysin also had 0 points in the first quarter like Taviyanna Habib, but she caught fire and finished with 27 pts on 7 three pointers which is her new career high.
Paris Miller (2022) Luella GA – She is one of the best players I’ve seen this year, and she’s only a Sophomore. Paris scored 16 points in a hard fought win against Gulf Coast in round 2. The upside is exponential here with some Power 5 offers already there.
KK Davis (2020) Seffner Christian – She really makes this offense go as one of the best passers in the area as well as the state. KK is incredible at penetrating and using her vision to find her open teammates. She’s also a very capable scorer who led her team with 15 points in a terrific win over Nolensville by 3 points.
Jaela Davis (2022) Brooks DeBartolo – I only saw Brooks play twice in the tournament, but Jaela played the best I’ve seen her play all year. Jaela contributed 19 points in a big win over Marshall County with some buckets from everywhere including 3 of 3 at the charity stripe for the Sophomore.
Halle Langhi (2022) Marshall County KY – She gave her team a chance to win in every game of the tournament. Halle’s team played some of the toughest teams in the tournament, and she had a nice game against Brooks as the only double digit scorer on her team with 19 points as well as plenty of boards as an impressive, young post player.
Shamya Joiner (2022) Florida Prep – She is not necessarily known for her offensive prowess, but she willed her team to a second round win with 17 points against a very good Saddle River team. Shamya brings unreal energy to her team and even took two charges in the first quarter as she is one of those players that everyone wants to play with but not against.
Saniah Caldwell (2022) Saddle River NJ – Everyone at the tournament was talking about how impressed they were with Saniah, and it was no shocker why. Saniah scored 20 in a narrow loss to Florida Prep by going 7 for 8 from the line and being an offensive force that no team could figure out.
Kaci Helmick (2020) Spruce Creek – She continued her hot streak in the second round by putting in five more 3 pointers (as did Kacie Oelkers) for a strong win against Westlake. Kaci ended the game with 17 points and a whopping 12 three’s between their first two tournament games.
Abby Carrington (2020) Westlake OH – She was dealt the difficult task of taking over for her team with Gina Adams getting hurt and having to exit a two point game with almost 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Abby stepped up with 16 points, but it wasn’t quite enough against a strong Spruce Creek squad.
Honorable Mention: Nolensville (TN) Team – These girls were one of the best teams in the tournament despite getting beat once. They were led by Grace Baird, Zoe Piller, and Parker Leftwich in round two against Seffner Christian. Grace is the best scorer on this team who can stroke it from deep and finish strong at the rim. She scored 16 points following a 27 performance in round 1. I really like her game as she does it from all over. Zoe is a fantastic, strong post player who put up 13 in round 2. She controls the glass and uses her strength to dominate the paint. Last but not least is Parker Leftwich who reminds me a lot of Hailey Van Lith. She’s a strong lefty who has a great hesitation move that is tough to stop if she’s heading to the hoop. Parker added 13 points in the 3 point loss, and she’s a player with amazing vision and a high basketball IQ that makes her teammates look better.