Palm Beach Central bests rival Wellington
The Palm Beach Central-Wellington girls basketball intra-village rivalry is always a big deal. Last season, Palm Beach Central beat Wellington for the district championship.
They met again Wednesday in Wellington and not much changed in the result. Palm Beach Central, with its bench that goes nine deep, wore down Wellington after a close first half and posted a 56-42 victory.
“I've been here 17 years and it's been a big rivalry before I got here," Palm Beach Central coach Bruce Gaffney said. “It's always nice to beat them. Our kids know their kids. They play on the same travel teams. It ignites the rivalry and they have high respect for each other. We want to beat them. They want to beat us."
While young Wellington is rebuilding, Palm Beach Central has a fascinating roster with the coach not knowing who to start. Nine players scored vs. Wellington and their most electric player, junior transfer guard Triniti Crouse, didn't even start.
This is how Palm Beach Central will adapt to losing its superstar, Palm Beach Post Player of the Year E'Zaria Adams.
“We definitely have a bench," Gaffney said. "Triniti is a starter. I have seven starters and I rotate those seven starters."
Crouse is one of a handful of solid ball handlers on the squad. She finished with 12 points and made two strip steals with her fast hands that led to her layups. The other esteemed ball handler is Emily Guillen, who added 11 points. PBC's rugged center Tamia Coleman added 10 points and blocked five shots as Palm Beach Central moved to 3-4, 2-0 in district action.
“We got good kids still trying to jell," Gaffney said. “The trademark of this team we're still developing our identity after losing E'Zaria."
Crouse, who transferred from South Fork in Stuart, has a speed and vibe you can't teach as well as a presence as a floor general. She only stands at 5foot-3 but can take it to the rim with