PONTE VEDRA – Britany Range scored all 14 of the Middleburg Broncos fourth quarter points to erase a double digit lead by the Nease Panthers on the road. Yet in the end, it was Camillo Hobby 19 points that led the Panthers to their second victory over district rival Middleburg this year 52-47 in a nail biter.
Coach Sherri Anthony and her Nease squad would jump out to an early lead in the contest thanks to the Panthers aggressive play on defense. Nease frustrated Middleburg into careless mistakes which turned into easy buckets. Hobby scored 6 points in the first quarter asserting her dominance inside. Complimenting her was teammate guard Tia Robinson, who scored four first quarter points as Nease built a 10-2 lead early on.
Three point play by Nease has them leading 19-10 with 5:25 in the 2nd period over Middleburg pic.twitter.com/qiV6AWyeQy
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) January 16, 2019
Middleburg would claw their way back into the contest in the first thanks to a total team effort as Range scored four points, Mallory Roney, Jamyah Harkins and Mar’ria Davis each chipped in 2 points apiece as Middleburg trailed Nease 14-10 after the first quarter.
Middleburg scores after a drought in the 2nd but trails Nease at halftime 28-14! Girls Basketball 🏀 pic.twitter.com/iCWGLvFVs4
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) January 16, 2019
In the second quarter, Nease would widen their lead to 14 points as Hobby dominated down low. She controlled the paint with lay-ins and offensive rebounds. The 6-ft 3-inch Hobby is committed to North Carolina State, and she showed why several Division I schools are interested in the talented senior. Thanks to her 9 points in the period, Nease took a 28-14 lead into halftime.
In the second half, Range would take over the game, hitting three 3-pointers in the third quarter. She outscored Nease by herself 15-13 in the period as Nease struggled from the field. The only bright spot for the Panthers in the quarter was forward Peyton Carter, a Davidson commit, who scored 4 points on two big shots in the quarter.
The Broncos defense also clamped down as Davis secured a steal and scored an assist when she served Range who hit an acrobatic lay-up and was fouled on the play. Range would hit the free throw to cut the Panther lead to three points 45-42.
With a nice lay in , 45-36 Nease still leading Middleburg with 3:49 4th pic.twitter.com/W1Dx7Geu42
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) January 16, 2019
The Broncos would bust their way to within one point of the Panthers 46-45 late in the fourth, when Range hit a three-pointer giving her 33 points in the game. Yet it wasn’t enough as Nease staved off the Middleburg comeback; thanks in large part to the ice water foul shooting of guard Texas A&M commit Kiya Turner. Turner hit four of six free throws in the fourth quarter giving her 10 points in the game.
Fellow guard Stephanie Manhertz would also deal a deciding blow to the Broncos when she received the entry pass to break the full court press of Middleburg then passed to Hobby for an easy lay-up increasing their lead to 50 to 47. A three pointer by Range was out of range for her hitting off the front iron as Nease hung on to a victory over Middleburg.
Nease (19-1) will face Ponte Vedra on Friday, a team that advanced to the state championships a year ago. While Middleburg will take on St. Augustine. Both teams are eyeing their conference tournament in the weeks to come, where they will likely see each other again for the third time this season.
