Local roundup for Jan. 25: Manatee wins girls soccer district championship

GIRLS SOCCER

Manatee 2, Lakewood Ranch 1: The Hurricanes claimed the Class 5A-District 8 championship Thursday with a dramatic 2-1 victory in extra time. The Canes received a goal from Alyssa Rouifed in the ninth minute, before Faith Schyck equalized less than 90 seconds into the second half. The match winner occurred in the first extra time period with Julia Murdoch finding the net.

“It’s a district championship,” Manatee head coach George Ameres said. “We have goals that we set for ourselves throughout the season. One was to have a good winning record, the next goal was to get the No. 1 seed and ultimately was to win the district championship. So we got the No. 1 seed and we were fortunate enough to have it here at home to play in front of our crowd and all of our student body. It was an emotional win for them.”

The victory means the Canes (14-1-2) get to host a regional quarterfinal at home against the District 7 runner-up. The District 7 final is slated for Friday. Lakewood Ranch must travel to the District 7 champion for the regional quarterfinal, which is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 6.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Tampa Brooks-DeBartolo 51, Bradenton Christian 42: Amy Van Ryn (15 points, four assists) and Hannah Wiers (12 points with four 3-pointers) paced the Panthers (15-7) in a home defeat. BCS was missing two starters with sickness and plays its next game Jan. 30 against Sarasota High at home.

Saint Stephen’s 45, Sarasota Christian 32: Sarah Stephens scored 12 points, while LeNae Jones chipped in 10 to help the Falcons raise their district record to 5-3. That’s good for a share of second place with North Port Imagine School. Sarasota Christian’s top scorer was Riley Knapp with 14 points. The Falcons are 9-6 overall.

Manatee 52, Venice 47: After trailing visiting Venice by five points to begin the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes overcame the deficit with their first lead with 1 minute, 15 seconds remaining in the game. Manatee then rode out a five-point victory behind Ophelia Lidge (13 points, 10 rebounds, 7-for-8 free throws), Andrea Soto (nine points, 7-for-9 free throws), Carly Paynter (eight points, eight rebounds, five blocks) and Jada Mullinex (seven points, four steals). The Canes improved to 11-9 overall and 4-6 in the district. Venice’s top scorers were Emily Mishack (16 points) and Elle DiGiacomo (14 points).

Braden River 68, Lakewood Ranch 55: The Pirates’ Big Three were at it again as the Pirates improved to 17-6 overall and 10-0 in the district. O’mariah Gordon (26 points), Cheyenne Stubbs (19 points) and Julia Rodriguez (17 points, 11 rebounds) paced Braden River, while Kaitlin Bell dropped 17 points for Lakewood Ranch. The Pirates play at home for senior night against Bradenton Christian next Thursday.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Saint Stephen’s 56, Sarasota Christian 50: The Falcons (12-6 overall, 7-1 district) received a double-digit scoring game from Ty Barker (21 points, five assists, eight rebounds) in the road victory. Cade Westberry (nine points, 10 rebounds) and Demetrius Davis (nine points) also contributed. Jordan Litwiller (19 points) and Drew Aylsworth (15 points) led the Blazers.

Bradenton Christian 76, IMG Academy 62: The Panthers improved to 15-7 with A.J. Schewe (19 points, six assists), Nick Swaagman (15 points), Dayton Modderman (10 points, nine rebounds), J.J. Benedict (10 points, six assists, five steals) and Cameron Rosier (10 points) producing double-digit scoring games. The Panthers plays the Falcons on Feb. 2 in its next game.

BOYS SOCCER

Saint Stephen’s 1, Braden River 1: The Falcons (9-1-3) and Pirates played to a draw Thursday. Saint Stephen’s opened the scoring with senior Ben Whorf’s first-half strike. Noah LaBelle, a junior and captain, was credited with the assist. Braden River tied the game with five minutes remaining in the non-district clash. The two sides next head to postseason play with next week’s district tournaments. The Falcons play their district semifinal Tuesday against Bradenton Christian at Out-of-Door Academy.

WRESTLING

Palm Harbor University 56, Manatee 12: Manatee lost a dual match with Palm Harbor University. Josh Booker remained unbeaten at 38-0, while Brandon Dossey is 37-1 on the year.

This story was originally published January 25, 2018 at 11:48 PM with the headline "Local roundup for Jan. 25: Manatee wins girls soccer district championship."