Commentary | Undefeated and unblemished, Braden River Middle girls win county hoops title
Braden River Middle's girls basketball team entered the Manatee County Championships with an undefeated record.
But instead of giving into the pressure of holding that record intact, Braden River swept past the competition to capture the county title with a balanced roster of veterans and newcomers.
A high-octane offense that averaged 44 points a game was coupled with a punishing defense that yielded just 15 points a game during the season, where they went 7-0.
Eighth-grader Daija Snipes and sixth-grader Cheyenne Stubbs were the club's co-captains and averaged 10 points a game.
A 5-0 mark during the regular season led to a semifinal encounter with Haile Middle, which Braden River dusted off 34-17. Stubbs delivered 11 points, while Snipes chipped in nine points in the victory. However, the team trailed 6-2 after the first quarter before utilizing a full-court press to put the game out of reach.
In the final, Snipes, Stubbs and eighth-grader Lily Bird tallied several steals to give the team a healthy cushion against Sugg Middle.
Braden River turned back Sugg 46-29 on the strength of its defense and Snipes (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Stubbs (10 points, five assists). In addition to its two co-captain leaders, the club received four points apiece from Bird, eighth-grader Amari White and eighth-grader Jessica Husel.
Other team members include: Ashley Tollner (eighth grade); An
drea Sota, Miah Lowman, Aubrei Green and Alyssa Riddle (seventh-graders); Perryauna Youmans and Kayla McDuffy (sixth-graders). The head coach is Chad Uhlinger and assistant coach is Chuck Uhlinger.
Pros in the stands
The inaugural IMG Pro Suncoast Classic wrapped up Saturday night, and the two-week tournament saw some professional athletes from other sports take in the soccer matches at IMG Academy's Stadium.
Pittsburgh Pirates relievers Jared Hughes and John Holdzkom saw the Philadelphia Union and Columbus Crew battle in the semifinals last Wednesday, while an NFL trio witnessed the championship match between the Union and New York Red Bulls.
Those three NFL players were Zach Mettenberger (Tennessee Titans), Tyrann Mathieu (Arizona Cardinals) and Akiem Hicks (New Orleans Saints). The three are training at IMG Academy during the offseason.
Big turnout, fast times
The sixth annual Take Stock in Children 5K/10K race was held Sunday at Lakewood Ranch's Main Street.
In the 5K event, Bradenton's Leah Swarts claimed the female overall title at 21 minutes, 38 seconds, while Sarasota's Shanon Winkleman was the male overall champion at 17:13.
Other female division winners included: Sarasota's Nicole Chapman (Masters, 22:02) and Sarasota's Denise Skinner (Grandmasters, 22:21). Other male division winners included: Scotland's Steve Pattison (Masters, 19:22) and Bradenton's Paul Ahnberg (Grandmasters, 20:06).
In the 10K race, Venice's Guy Scheiwiller clocked in at 38 minutes, 32 seconds to win the male overall title, while Sarasota's Rachel Chambers earned the female overall title with a time of 41:33.
Other male division winners included: Sarasota's Geoffrey Michel (Masters, 41:51) and Bradenton's Rob Hetterich (Grandmasters, 42:06).
Other female division winners included: Lakewood Ranch's Fernanda Scalera (Masters, 42:10) and Lakewood Ranch's Suzanne Hoffman (Grandmasters, 47:52).
There were more than 1,300 combined finishers from the 5K and 10K races.
Jason Dill, sports reporter, can be reached at 745-7017 or via email at jdill@bradenton.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason__Dill or on his Facebook page at Jason Dill Bradenton Herald.
This story was originally published March 3, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Commentary | Undefeated and unblemished, Braden River Middle girls win county hoops title ."