Ten Best from Clearwater Beach Bracket Championship: Luella (GA) vs. Seffner Christian
In the Clearwater Beach Bracket, the Luella Lions (11-3) completed the task off knocking off the host team in the championship game. Seffner Christian fell to 12-4 on a night where 4 of their 6 best players fouled out as…
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Continue ReadingIn the Clearwater Beach Bracket, the Luella Lions (11-3) completed the task off knocking off the host team in the championship game. Seffner Christian fell to 12-4 on a night where 4 of their 6 best players fouled out as opposed to none for Luella in a rare occurrence. The Lions controlled the first quarter with a score of 16-7 behind Paris Miller, but the Crusaders fought back and took their first lead of the game with a little over 2 minutes left until half. Seffner Christian kept that lead at 27-24 for the halftime score before a very exciting third quarter. There were multiple lead changes in the 3rd, and it finished with a score of 41-41. The fourth quarter seemed to be going in the same direction as it was a one possession game up until about a minute and a half left in the game when Luella finished them off with free throws and defensive turnovers. The Seffner foul outs happened within a small timeframe in the fourth: KK Davis with 4:11 left, CC Mays at the 4 minute mark, Kali Barber with 1:50 left, and finally Tajah Spaulding with 1 minute and 6 seconds left. Luella earned a hard fought victory to be crowned champs by a score of 57-48 in the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational.
On to the best…
MVP – Keely Brown (2020) Luella
Keely can do it all. She scored 16 in the win with a huge 11 points in the third quarter. She is one of the best rebounding guards I’ve seen play with elite athleticism. Keely saw the court, played tough D, and was the most impressive all around player as a Senior leader for her team in this big championship win. Keely is an excellent get for Fresno State WBB.
Best Offensive Performance – Paris Miller (2022) Luella
Paris is making a name for herself as a young leader on this tough team. She scored 16 points in the victory, and is one of the most exciting players to watch in the Southeast. PGH Georgia has her ranked #2 in her class which is no surprise to me. Her frame, basketball IQ, and shooting touch just make her look so smooth when she’s on the floor. She’s a bonafide Power 5 talent.
Best Defensive Performance – Chimera Iloanya (2021) Seffner Christian
It took Chimera a bit to settle in on the offensive end (ended with 7 points), but she did a good job on the other end of staying out of foul trouble that gave the Crusader BIG problems with CC Mays missing most of the third quarter. Chimera was one of the only starters to not foul out, so she played a big role as their only true post to grab defensive boards and control the paint against a young Luella frontcourt. She’s going to be a big factor on how well this guard-heavy team can do in the postseason.
Best Player Off the Bench – Tajah Spaulding (2021) Seffner Christian
Tajah led the way in scoring for Seffner with 11 points on a nice 2nd and 3rd quarter. She’s a really good 6th person on the bench with Nini Davenport drawing the start. College coaches had some questions about her after noticing that she’s a quality guard who can defend and shoot the rock. I’m excited to see her continue to grow.
Best Aspect of the Environment – Luella’s Fans
This Georgia team did not mess around when it came to rooting on their team. They brought a good sized crowd from another state, and they made the game even that more exciting. Luella fans were fun to watch and listen to as a spectator. I would have to think they were the loudest fan base I heard at the entire event.
Best Under-the-Radar Performance – Arianna Dyson (2023) Luella
Arianna is a strong Freshman who added 9 points in this game for her team. She will often get overlooked this season with Paris and Keely getting the hype, but she’s no joke in the frontcourt. I enjoyed her physicality, post moves, and rebounding effort to keep Seffner away from any second chances. Arianna has a bright future on this talented young squad.
Best Shooter – Nini Davenport (2023) Seffner Christian
Nini has a pretty shot that she loves to shoot from deep. She typically makes most of her shots from behind the arc, but she had some nice buckets from inside in this one. She finished with 9 points in a balanced attack for Seffner. Nini had to step up late with all of the foul trouble and I got to see a little more of her ball handling and passing than usual with the amount of talent this Crusaders team has. She has some strong potential as only a Freshman.
Best Intangibles – Kali Barber (2020) Seffner Christian
Kali always gives it her all when she is out on the court. She hustles, is coachable, and had 5 points when her team needed it down the stretch. It almost seemed like she was going to put the team on her back in the fourth quarter before she picked up her 5th foul in a 3 point game which pretty much sealed the win for Luella. I really like her decision to step in right away for D3 Maine Maritime to further her basketball career.
Best Underclassmen – Paris Miller (2022) Luella
This should come as no surprise to anyone. She’s a top Sophomore in Georgia, and I’d argue to say in the nation with some big offers she’s seen already. No one will be sleeping on this girl.
Best Passer – KK Davis (2020) Seffner Christian
KK can score the ball if she needs to, but her passing ability is the best part of her game. She’s one of the best dime droppers in the state as she has the speed to get by a defender to breakdown the defense for an easy assist. Passing and seeing the floor seems to be less common, so she will be a good fit for Western Carolina as a very unselfish PG.