2022 New Years Classic – Recap Day One
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2022 New Years Classic – Recap Day One By Michael Wholey 1/13/21 1:00 PM EST The 2022 New Year’s Classic was held in Miami this past weekend at SLAM! Academy. The two-day event had some of the state’s top teams…
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Continue Reading2022 New Years Classic – Recap Day One
By Michael Wholey 1/13/21 1:00 PM EST
The 2022 New Year’s Classic was held in Miami this past weekend at SLAM! Academy. The two-day event had some of the state’s top teams and players including the state’s # 3 ranked team St. Thomas Aquinas, six-time state champion Miami Country Day, and Batavia High School out of Illinois. The event also featured some of the state’s top talent in the classes of 2025-2027 with several of the youngest teams in the state such as Somerset Academy Silver Palms, Kings Academy, and SLAM! Academy. Here is a recap from day one of the event.
Day One (January 7, 2022) Final Scores
Doral Academy (41) – Somerset Silver Palms (72)
St. Thomas Aquinas (74) – Batavia HS (52)
King’s Academy (42) – SLAM! Academy (56)
Day One (January 7, 2022) Top Individual Scorers
Brooke Carlson Brooke Carlson 5'8" | PG Batavia | 2024 State IL (Batavia – IL) – 29 points
Stephanie Vega (Somerset Silver Palms) – 25 points
Ji’Miyah Branton (SLAM! Academy) – 19 points
Reina Green Reina Green 5'10" | CG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL (St. Thomas Aquinas) – 17 points
Ashley Martinez Ashley Martinez 5'4" | SG Somerset Silver Palms Academy | 2026 State FL (Somerset Silver Palms) – 16 points
Bre Gustava (St. Thomas Aquinas) – 13 points
Alexia Sanchez (Doral Academy) – 13 points
Alancia Ramsey Alancia Ramsey 6'0" | PF St Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL (St. Thomas Aquinas) – 12 points
Sophia Kateris Sophia Kateris 5'11" | SF The King's Academy - West Palm Beach | 2025 State FL (King’s Academy) – 11 points
Karla Quintero Karla Quintero 6'1" | PF SLAM! Miami | 2022 State FL (SLAM! Academy) – 11 points
Shanaii Gamble (Somerset Silver Palms) – 10 points
Daijia Lopez (SLAM! Academy) – 10 points
GAME ONE
Doral Academy (8-9)
In game one of the 2022 New Years Classic, Doral Academy did all they could to hang tight with Somerset Silver Palms but in the end, it was not enough. Doral was led by Junior 5’5 Guard Alexia Sanchez, who scored a team high 13 points including three 3-pointers and was a perfect 4/4 from free throw line. The guard orientated team also got contributions from for Junior Guard Sophia Ojeda who chipped in with 9 points and Freshman guard Gianna Robles Gianna Robles 5'3" | PG Doral Academy | 2025 State FL who scored 7 points. Sanchez, Ojeda, and Robles have been leading the team in scoring throughout the season and are a big part of the team’s game plan and scoring efforts
Somerset Academy Silver Palms (10-6)
Somerset is one of the youngest teams in the state loaded with players in the classes of 2025-2027 and it was on full display this weekend! In game one of the event, 5’7 Guard Stephanie Vega led the way with 25 points, 15 of those coming in the first half! Vega is in the class of 2026 and is a versatile scorer who can fill it up in a variety of ways. She knocked down open shots, attacked off the dribble and played at a high tempo all game! Fellow member of the class of 2026 Ashley Martinez Ashley Martinez 5'4" | SG Somerset Silver Palms Academy | 2026 State FL was in double figures as well with 10 points along with class of 2024 Shanaii Gamble who also had 10 points. The youth for Somerset Academy got even younger as class of 2027 guards Naya Hardisson Naya Hardisson 5'6" | PG Southridge | 2027 State FL and Victoria Valle Victoria Valle 5'8" | SG Doral Academy | 2027 State FL chipped in with 8 and 7 points respectively.
GAME TWO
St. Thomas Aquinas (13-1)
St. Thomas Aquinas (STA) entered the event as the highest ranked team, with a # 3 ranking in the state of Florida according to Maxpreps. The Raiders took care of business vs Batavia, who came from Illinois to take in some top-notch competition over the holiday break, defeating them 74-52. STA was led by Junior guard Reina Green Reina Green 5'10" | CG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL who dropped all 17 of her points in the second quarter, knocking down five consecutive 3-pointers to break the game wide open! The impressive 2nd quarter performance increased STA 21-17 first quarter lead to a 40-19 half time lead! While Green play was impressive, their depth was even scarier, capable of playing 9-10 players without a drop-in play! On the inside 2023 6’1 Forward Alancia Ramsey Alancia Ramsey 6'0" | PF St Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL controlled the paint, dropping 12 points and going 6/7 from the free throw line, on her way to a double-double! All in all, it was a team effort with 2022 5’7 Guard Bre Gustave reaching double digits as well with 13 points, 2022 6’1 Forward Jada Green Jada Green 6'0" | PF St. Thomas Aquinas | 2022 State FL scored 9 points, and 2023 5’8 Guard Karina Gordon Karina Gordon 5'8" | CG St. Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL and 2022 5’5 Guard Maya Williams Maya Williams 5'6" | CG St Thomas Aquinas | 2022 State FL chipped in with 7 points each!
Batavia High School (10-8)
While St. Thomas Aquinas took the win, Sophomore guard Brooke Carlson Brooke Carlson 5'8" | PG Batavia | 2024 State IL stole the show with her impressive play, doing everything she could to keep Batavia High School competitive and in the game. Carlson, a class of 2024 prospect, was the events high scorer with 29 points. She did a little bit of everything, knocking down two 3-pointers, attacking the rim aggressively off the dribble and getting to the FT line. Carlson is a savvy playmaker who is confident with the ball in her hands and aggressive attacking the rim! She could have gone for 30+ points but left a couple points on the board as she 5/11 from FT line. 6’5 Wisconsin signee Tessa Towers Tessa Towers 6'5" | C Batavia | 2022 State IL battled Alancia Ramsey Alancia Ramsey 6'0" | PF St Thomas Aquinas | 2023 State FL on the inside, dropping 10 points and was close to a double-double with 8 rebounds. It was a fun interior battle, as Towers used her mass, size and strength to post up on the low block and finished well around the rim!
GAME THREE
King’s Academy (14-5)
King’s Academy entered the weekend with a 14-3 record, fresh off a championship in the Tamba Bay Invitational over the holiday break. Facing the host school SLAM! Academy, Kings didn’t have enough firepower falling to SLAM! 56-42. Freshman 5’10 Sophia Kateris Sophia Kateris 5'11" | SF The King's Academy - West Palm Beach | 2025 State FL was the lone player in double figures, dropping 11 points including two 3-pointers. She is a young, skilled highly wing player who has excellent length and shoots a high percentage from the field. The youth was on full display with Kings getting contributions from class of 2023 wing Jordan Race Jordan Race 5'11" | SF King's Academy | 2023 State FL (7 points), class of 2024 guard Jade Jones Jade Jones 5'11" | SF King's Academy | 2025 State FL (7 points), as well as Seniors Monique Joseph Monique Joseph 5'11" | PF King's Academy | 2022 State FL (6 points) and Margot McFadden (5 points) got in the box score as well!
SLAM! Academy
Leading the way for SLAM! was 5’8 Freshman Jim’Myah Branton Jim’Myah Branton 5'7" | SG SLAM! (Miami) | 2025 State FL , who scored 19 points, displaying a balanced floor game! She has a smooth offensive game, attacking rim off the bounce and contorting her body in a variety of ways, finishing at the rim in a number of ways as well as getting to the free throw line where she was 5/6. Seniors Karla Quintero Karla Quintero 6'1" | PF SLAM! Miami | 2022 State FL and Daijia Lopez both got into double figures, giving SLAM! three in double digits, with Quintero scoring 11 points (all in the 2nd half) and a perfect 3/3 from the free throw line while Lopez scored 10 and was also perfect from the line going 2/2.
Michael Wholey is the lead scout for Florida Prep Girls Hoop Florida and a former division one Assistant Coach at American University, University of Memphis, and Georgia Tech. Wholey and the rest of the Prep Girls Hoop staff, seek to cover the entire state of player, keeping subscribers up to date with player evaluations, recruiting info, and statewide news. Our audience often supplies us with some of our best information. If you have any information on players, teams, or statewide news in the state of Florida, emailing Michael Wholey at WholeyPrepHoops@gmail.com or DM him through Twitter or Instagram @WholeyPrepHoops.