DISTRICT ROUNDUP: Mainland beats St. Augustine for second straight championship
ST. AUGUSTINE — The first person Brandon Stewart handed the district trophy to was sophomore Shilah-Rayn Lord. He grabbed her arms and lifted them up above her head so the prize was held high.
Yashaiya Yisrael snatched the trophy next and jumped up and down with it. With her teammates and coaches in tow, the senior meandered over to halfcourt for a team picture. After a few seconds, the group separated and passed the trophy around for individual photos with family, friends, teammates and coaches.
“That’s a genuine smile!” Stewart said after one photo with a player.
His Mainland Buccaneers gave him a reason to beam Friday, beating St. Augustine 47-33 to win the 5A District 4 tournament at Menendez High School. It is the second consecutive year the Bucs (16-8) have claimed the championship and the fourth consecutive district title game they’ve appeared in since Stewart took over as head coach.
“It’s amazing,” senior Jordan Boddie said.
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Mainland and the Yellow Jackets (18-7) entered as the bracket’s No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, and Friday’s first quarter reflected that. It featured four lead changes and ended with the score tied 10-10.
With St. Augustine leading 14-12 nearly halfway through the second, the Bucs took control. Typically a splendid shooting team, they struggled to hit outside shots during the first half, so they began forcing the ball inside to junior forward Anovia Sheals.
And it worked.
Mainland went on an 18-4 run, spearheaded by 13 points from Sheals, to close the quarter and build a 30-18 lead.
“We just kept being aggressive,” Boddie said. “We knew we were having a bad shooting game and the threes weren’t falling, so we had to just get it inside and see what we could get.”
The Bucs made only one 3-pointer all game — a bank shot by junior guard Tia Dobson in the first quarter. St. Augustine knocked down two.
“Humbly speaking, that was probably the worst shooting game we’ve had all year,” Stewart said. “So I’m excited and happy we found a way to push through that. That’s what it’s going to take, though. Around these times, no matter what happens, no matter what the circumstances are, you have to be able to pull it out and come out with a 'W'. I’m proud of the girls.”
Mainland hung onto its double-digit advantage the rest of the game. Sheals finished with a game-high 26 points. Dobson scored 11.
For the Yellow Jackets, junior Aniyah Fisher dropped a team-leading 16 points.
With the victory, the Bucs secured a spot in the regional playoffs. St. Augustine will look to get in as a wild card. The Florida High School Athletic Association will release brackets at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Here is a look at Friday’s other local games:
Spruce Creek 60, Lake Mary 46
Spruce Creek claimed Disctrict 2-7A and joined Mainland as the area’s district winners, guaranteeing themselves berths in the regional playoffs. The Hawks built a 29-16 lead by halftime.
Mandarin 43, Creekside 41
No. 3 Creekside’s 7A District 1 title contest against Mandarin came down to the final seconds, but the top seed clung to a victory. Jade Spivey paced the third-seeded Knights with 15 points.
Oakleaf 56, Ponte Vedra 21
After upsetting Nease to get to the 6A District 3 finals, Ponte Vedra ran into top-seeded, two-loss Oakleaf. The third-seeded Sharks couldn’t add a third to that total, dropping their own record to 15-9.
Mount Dora Christian 53, Trinity Christian 36
In the 2A District 6 championship game, Trinity Christian fell to No. 1 Mount Dora Christian. The second-seeded Eagles now hold a 14-5 record.
Master’s Academy, 51, Father Lopez 32 (Thursday)
No. 2 Father Lopez (12-11) surrendered big runs in the second and fourth quarters, allowing top-seeded Master's Academy to pull away in the 3A District 4 title game.
University Christian 45, St. Joseph 32 (Thursday)
No. 2 University Christian used a 16-5 third quarter to break a 16-all, halftime tie in knocking off third-seeded St. Joseph in the 2A District 3 semifinals. Junior Kelly Cramer led St. Joseph (15-8) with 14 points.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Girls basketball district roundup: Mainland wins second straight title
