Blair Thomas scored 18 points, and Alyssa Ward had 17 as the visiting Palmetto girls basketball team defeated Manatee 53-35 on Thursday night to finish the regular season 18-2.

Rolita McDuffie had 14 rebounds and four blocks for Palmetto, which opens Class 6A-District 12 tournament play as the top seed Tuesday at home against either Lakewood Ranch or St. Petersburg Dixie Hollins.

Becca Butler and Alexis Riley had five points apiece for the Hurricanes, who visit Venice in the Class 7A-District 11 tournament on Monday.

SOUTHEAST 56, BAYSHORE 44 -- The host Seminoles closed the regular season out with a win.

DeAngela Mathis had a game-high 23 points, and Bevin Mays had 13 for Southeast (21-4), which is the top seed for next week’s Class 5A-District 12 tournament and receives a bye into the semifinals.

Brooklyn Spearmin had 13 points, and Elissa Alvarez added 12 for the Bruins (7-15), who face St. Petersburg Gibbs on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the 5A-12 playoffs and return to Southeast for a semifinal if they win.

n JV: Southeast defeated host Bayshore 23-22 in the season’s final game. Jonai Carley led the Seminoles (8-7) with six points, and Haillie Lahum hit the winning free throw with 10 seconds remaining.

FORT MYERS CANTERBURY 46, SAINT STEPHEN’S 9 -- Seventh-grader Savannah Sandstrum scored four points, and senior Lauren Johnson had a season-high eight rebounds as the host Falcons (1-17) fell on Senior Night.

Boys basketball

ARCADIA DeSOTO AT BAYSHORE -- The Bruins (7-15) claimed a forfeit victory when the Bulldogs failed to make the trip to southern Manatee County. A Bayshore team official said he was informed DeSoto’s bus didn’t show up to pick up the team.

-- Herald staff reports