Girls basketball: Week one highlights and new top 5

Posted Nov 20, 2011 by Katherine Smith

Updated Nov 20, 2011 at 10:12 PM

Plant opened the season with a 60-47 victory over Sickles, a Final Four team last season. With leading scorer Kelly Brennan on the bench in foul trouble for a good chunk of the second half, the Panthers were led by senior Nicole Sivyer’s 16 points. You can read the Tribune’s coverage of the game here.

Other first-week highlights and a new Top 5 Team rankings:

Tampa Catholic 68, Gulf 67: Days after posting her career 1,000th-point, senior guard Micah Kroll helped lead the Crusaders past Gulf in the final minute with a career-high 31 points, including four three pointers and also nabbed 10 rebounds. It was a nice rebound for the back-to-back state champions who opened the regular season with a 20-point loss to Indian Rocks Christian.

Academy of the Holy Names 49, Indian Rocks Christian 45: The McWilliams sisters, Amanda (15 points) and Ashley (12 points), led the Jaguars. Academy opened the regular-season with an 88-15 win over Clearwater Central Catholic. Amanda had a game-high 19 points, which included five three pointers.

Blake 54, Chamberlain 43: The Yellow Jackets Dominique Brown, last season’s leading scorer, posted a game-high 27 points, which included two three pointers.

Robinson 54, Leto 9: The Knights opened their emotional season with a victory, led by junior guard Deliah Autry’s game-high 24 points. It was a moral victory for Leto as well as the Falcons fielded a women’s team this year after missing last season because of a lack of players.

Tampa Bay Tech 66, Bloomingdale 20: Titans junior center Erica Young scored more points than the Bulls team combined. Young led her team with 21 points.

Freedom 61, Durant 58: Freshman guard Taylor Emery led the Patriots with 18 points. The Cougars Ashley Nelson scored 19 points in the losing effort.

Seffner Christian 68, Shorecrest Prep 18: It’s safe to say not many have had a freshman debut quite like the Crusaders Peyton Walker. She led her team with 29 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds.

*No public school games this week because of the Thanksgiving holiday break

Tampa Tribune Top 5 Hillsborough County Girls Basketball Teams

1. Riverview (1-0) – Tesha Hanson, Monet Williams and Faith Woodard combined for 47 points in Sharks first win of the season
2. Tampa Bay Tech (3-0) – Titans are averaging 68 points a game
3. Tampa Catholic (1-1) – Defeat Gulf in the final minute for the second-straight season
4. Plant (2-0) – Upset a Final Four team and you get into the Top 5.
5. Brooks-DeBartolo – Three players (Vintoria Hopps, Tatiana Manuel, Chelsea White) are capable of double-doubles.