Prep round-up | Saint Stephen's boys basketball begins 2016 with loss to Admiral Farragut.
Saint Stephen's disappointing boys basketball season continued into 2016 with a 54-36 loss to St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut on Thursday in Bradenton. Guards Jordan Edwards and Travis Tobey led the Falcons (3-10, 1-4 Class 3A-District 8) with 13 and 11 points, respectively. Edwards and junior guard Jordon Murrell each handed out three assists during the district loss to Admiral Farragut (6-5, 3-2).
SSES hosts another district game Friday against St. Petersburg Northside Christian, which shares the basement with Saint Stephen's.
OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY 57, MOORE HAVEN 54 -- Junior guard Kolbie Ward dropped 21 and Out-of-Door topped the Terriers, 57-54, at home. Shooting guard Amad Brayboy added 17 for the Thunder (8-4, 5-2 Class 3A-District 9), which moved into second place in the district. Moore Haven (12-6, 6-3) slips behind ODA in the standings.
Out-of-Door continues district play Friday with another home game against Fort Myers Canterbury.
CARDINAL MOONEY 63, SARASOTA MILITARY 23 -- The Cougars climbed within a game of .500 overall and in their district with a 63-23 home win against the Eagles in Sarasota. Mooney (7-8, 3-4 Class 4A-District 9) will have a chance to even its record Friday on the road against Clearwater Central Catholic.
Emmanuel Lambright led the way for Cardinal Mooney with 16 points and Nick Peacock added 15. Mac Sacco chipped in 10 points and also grabbed five rebounds. The Cougars remain in third place in the district with the win, while SMA (1-13, 0-6) remains in the cellar.
Boys soccer
BRADEN RIVER 4, MANATEE 4 -- The Pirates and Hurricanes went back and forth during a non-district game and ultimately the Canes' late penalty kick by midfielder Luis Segura-Gonzalez sealed a 4-4 draw with host BRHS. Midfielder Daniel Hampton scored twice for Manatee (5-4-5, 1-2-3 Class 5A-District 8) and added an assist, while Segura-Gonzalez added a goal and an assist. Forward Antonio Hernandez also scored for the Hurricanes.
The Canes conclude the regular season Monday with a home game against rival Palmetto. Braden River (6-8-1, 2-4 Class 4A-District 11) concludes district play Monday at home against Sarasota before finishing the regular season Wednesday.
Girls soccer
SAINT STEPHEN'S 2, SEFFNER CHRISTIAN 1 -- After honoring their eight seniors, the Falcons pulled out a 2-1 win against Seffner Christian in its regular-season finale in Bradenton. Attacking midfielder Kendall Miller got SSES (11-5, 3-1 Class 1A-District 7) on the board first with a penalty kick before midfielder Kelsey Leskinen set striker Catie Tierce up to beat the Crusaders (11-7, 8-2 Class 1A-District 5) with the decisive score.
The Class 1A-7 tournament begins Monday, although Saint Stephen's won't take the field until Tuesday against Bradenton Christian.
Girls basketball
LAKEWOOD RANCH 61, PALM HARBOR UNIVERSITY 54 -- Next month, the Hurricanes could provide one of the Mustangs' stiffest challenges at making a run through the Class 7A postseason. The two met for the first time in Palm Harbor and Ranch earned an impressive 61-54 win.
Center LaDazhia Williams led Lakewood Ranch (16-4, 6-0 Class 7A-District 11) with 22 points and eight rebounds, and also grabbed three steals. Guards Kyra Klarkowski and Kailyn Scully added 16 and 11 points, respectively. Klarkowski also grabbed five rebounds and Scully snared six against the Hurricanes (15-4, 7-0 Class 7A-District 10).
The Mustangs have now won three in a row after dropping back-to-back games to Seffner Christian and Vero Beach in December. They host rival Braden River on Tuesday.
PALMETTO 56, VENICE 30 -- Tina Stevens finished three assists and three blocks short of a quadruple double and the Tigers breezed to a 56-30 win against the Indians in Palmetto.
Stevens finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds to go with her seven assists and blocks. PHS (16-5, 3-2 7A-11) also got 19 points from Taylor Rozier and 11 from Anisia Washington in the blowout win against Venice (9-8, 2-3). The Tigers continue district play Tuesday with a home game against Sarasota (16-5, 4-2), which routed the Pirates (2-15, 0-6), 64-21, on Thursday.
SOUTHEAST 64, ST. PETERSBURG LAKEWOOD 52 -- Despite missing two starters, the Seminoles avenged their only district loss and beat Lakewood, 64-52, in St. Petersburg.
The Noles (15-3, 6-1 Class 5A-District 11) used only six players with sophomore Destiny Walker and senior Johnelle Clark forced into the starting lineup. Shorthanded, Southeast needed 25 points from junior Shauntavia Green and 23 from senior Breyonna Reed to knock off the Spartans. Junior Marline Valcin led the Seminoles with 10 rebounds. The Noles have a chance to move into a tie with Lakewood (10-5, 7-1) atop the district with a home game against Tarpon Springs.
This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Prep round-up | Saint Stephen's boys basketball begins 2016 with loss to Admiral Farragut. ."