Raines HS– Sandalwood jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the Raines Christmas tournament and never looked back defeating the host Vikings 60 to 31 on Friday night. Sandalwood was led by Auriyah Stewart who had 17 points. Sandalwood had the decisive height advantage which played an important role in the game. The Saints were able to gain second chance points with offensive rebounds, and contest Vikings shots. Lauran Alvarez used her skills to score 13 points for the Saints. They moved the ball extremely well, finding open players to score the basketball. #5 Maria Torres pushed the ball up court and distributed the basketball effectively, while Stewart hit many open shots in the game.
Sandalwood was able to beat the full court press of Raines and capitalize on mismatches. McGee was the benefactor of these mismatches scoring on several baskets down low. Torres put the pressure on Raines with steals and aggressive moves to the basket on fast breaks.
The Saints capitalized on careless passes by Raines as Stewart made them pay, knocking down big shots from the perimeter. Her effort helped push a third quarter lead to 31 points. #32 Caitlin McGee showed her incredible versatility as a center in the game by dominating the boards, controlling the paint, and even stealing the ball on fast breaks. A third quarter steal by McGee (6’1) saw her take it all the way to the hole with incredible speed, outracing Raines standout guard #15 Nyla Allen for the lay up. McGee (Landmark) and Allen(Highlands) met in the Duval County middle school championship game two years ago, and showed in this tournament why they are two of the best players in the area even as sophomores. Raines is not short on young talent and will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. However this year the force is strong with Sandalwood as they improved to 13-0 on the season.
