Prep basketball | Manatee County all-stars come up short against Sarasota County rivals
SARASOTA -- The Manatee County boys and girls basketball teams came up short in their respective battles against Sarasota County, but it was a profitable day for Elise Spiller.
The Lakewood Ranch senior was named Most Outstanding Player in the girls game, which earned her a $500 college scholarship in the name of the late Kyle Jutras, son of Sarasota High girls head coach Rob Jutras.
"That was the goal for me, to get more money to go to college, and to get it is just great. I was thinking about it before the game," Spiller said.
Despite Manatee County's 72-61 loss, Spiller led all scorers with 22 points, hauled in seven rebounds, dished out four assists and had two blocked shots.
Sarasota County came from behind to defeat the Manatee County boys 111-95 in the nightcap of the annual all-star doubleheader Saturday at Sarasota High.
Spiller also had the task of guarding Booker High's Yamaris Guevarez, considered the top female player in Sarasota County who has signed with Division I Jacksonville. She finished with 19 points.
"I've known Yamaris for a long time, but this is the first time I played against her in an organized game. She is tough and wore me out," Spiller said. "It was great to get together one last time and see everyone. I was on vacation since Monday and missed our one practice, so it was tough to play the whole game."
Southeast's Johnelle Clark contributed 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Larissa LaBolt from Braden River chipped in eight points and picked up three steals.
Spiller, who plans to attend NCAA Division III Green Mountain College in Vermont, helped herself be converting 8 of 11 from the free throw line and was two for six from 3-point land.
"Elise deserved the award.
She played a really good all-around game for the whole team as a point guard and on defense," Manatee County girls coach Kristen Fulmer said. "We gave her the job of guarding Yamaris, and that is no easy task. I absolutely hope this game continues (annually). It's kind of a goodwill game. It's a good feeling because a lot of seasons end on hard loses, and even if you lose this game, it's a good feeling."
The Manatee County boys were led by Bradenton Christian's Ryan Leunk, who scored 21 points and grabbed five rebounds. The entire starting five for the Panthers was on the roster, and they got to play together for a two-minute stretch in the second half.
"It was a lot of fun to get together one last time. To be able to play with some of the guys we have been playing against was a blast," Leunk said. "We even heard a little bit from our fans when we (BCS players) were out there together."
Southeast's Corey Davis, who did not play in the postseason for undisclosed reasons, scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and had three steals.
Palmetto's Kevin Crispin had 14 points and two rebounds. BCS' Jake Lister had 13 points with four treys, four assists and four rebounds.
The biggest difference in the boys game was at the free-throw line. Sarasota County was 22 for 24 from the charity stripe, and Manatee was 7 for 10. Riverview's D.J. Bryant finished with 30 points and was boys Most Outstanding Player.
"I thought this was a great experience for the kids. The crowd attendance was really good, especially for the first time getting the event back going," Manatee County coach Jeremy Schiller said. "I've told coach Jutras we are going to do everything we can to keep this going for as along as we can. It's great showcase for the players, who work so hard, and a great way to finish off their careers."
Alan Dell, Herald sports columnist/writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter @ADellSports.
This story was originally published March 26, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Prep basketball | Manatee County all-stars come up short against Sarasota County rivals ."