Area’s best teams battle at Classic
Cardinal Newman, Gardens among first-round winners.
BOCA RATON — Boca Raton hosted the first day of the Martin Luther King Holiday Classic on Friday, featuring five of the top 10 girls basketball teams in Palm Beach County.
No. 5 Cardinal Newman 67, Naples-Barron Collier 59: The Crusaders (16-4) held off a late rally from the Cougars (12-9). Boston College commit Milan Morris led the Crusaders with a dominating double-double, scoring 23 points while grabbing 19 rebounds. Sydni Donovan, a Furman commit, also picked up a double-double, racking up 16 points and 10 boards. Newman plays Melbourne Central Catholic (10-6) at 1:30 p.m. today.
No. 6 Palm Beach Gardens 56, No. 8 West Boca Raton 48: The Bulls (14-5) played the Gators (14-5) close in the first half, taking the lead briefly in the second quarter, but Gardens pulled ahead and never looked back. The Gators went on a 9-0 run to end the second half, going ahead 28-20. Gardens kept its lead in double digits for much of the third quarter, but West Boca Raton made a run late in the game, cutting the Gators’ lead to six points in the fourth quarter.
Gardens held on to the lead, building it back up thanks to five made free throws by sophomore Kiera Brown, who paced Gardens with 14 points. West Boca Raton plays Winter Park at 4:30 p.m. today, and Gardens plays Boca Raton at 6 p.m.
Winter Haven 86, No. 2 Boca Raton 49: The Bob - cats (15-5) struggled mightily against the reigning Class 7A state champions. After keeping the game relatively close early — Boca Raton trailed by five at the end of the first quarter — the Blue Devils (14-4) got hot in the second quarter and never let up. Winter Haven built a 15-point lead by halftime and dominated the final two quarters. Senior Rachel Levy was the lone bright spot for the Bobcats on an otherwise rough night on offense. Last year’s Palm Beach Post Large Schools Player of the Year finished the game with 27 points.
No. 3 Palm Beach Lakes 62, Melbourne 47: In the final game of the night, the Rams jumped out to an early lead and never let the Bulldogs back in the game. With a stingy defense and quick offense, Lakes (134) built a double-digit lead by the middle of the second quarter. Sophomore Ra’Shara Simmons led the Rams with 21 points, and senior Ronita St. Felix added 14.