SOUTHSIDE – A new season, a new coach, yet the same result for the Sandalwood Saints girls basketball team, as they defended their Gateway Conference championship by defeating Raines 42-30 on Saturday night. It was a rematch from last year, pitting the two best girls basketball teams in the conference against one another.
Sandalwood, led by first year head coach Chatori Major came into the contest 12-4 on the season’ while Raines (18-3) led by head coach Julius Paden, came into the game looking to avenge their 2018 Gateway championship loss to the Saints.
First quarter action saw Sandalwood take an early lead in the contest as the Lady Saints wanted to start fast and they did, thanks to junior center Caitlin McGee. McGee scored 11 of the Saints 18 first quarter points as Sandalwood took a 18-9 lead into the second.
Sandalwood leads Raines 18-9 after first quarter in the Girls Basketball Duval County Gateway Conference Championship pic.twitter.com/LA64vYKCb9
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) January 20, 2019
However in the second, coach Paden dialed up the defense and it worked as McGee was held scoreless and the Saints could only muster 7 points in the quarter. Raines on the other hand received a balanced effort across the board as guard Stephanie Thorton, guard Myleah Hampton, and center Teyana Carswell each scored two points for the Vikings. Junior guard Nyla Allen led her team with five points in the quarter as Raines cut the Sandalwood lead to 25-23 going into halftime.
The second half saw much of the same as both teams ramped up their defenses. The low scoring contest saw its lowest scoring quarter in the third, as both teams combined for just 11 points. The physical contest didn’t just show on the scoreboard, it also showed on the players as athletes fought for loose balls and rebounds.
It seemed to work in the Lady Vikings favor in the third when Saints senior guard Auriyah Stewart suffered an apparent injury to her mid-section which stopped play for several minutes. Stewart left on her own power, yet was in obvious pain. The quarter would end with Sandalwood clinging to a 31-30 lead and their lone senior sidelined.
In the fourth, Sandalwood would find the energy that seemed to elude them for two previous quarters as they contested shots and entry passes by the Vikings. With their enthusiasm rising, their play would follow as Stewart returned to the game to hit several big shots down the stretch scoring 6 points in the fourth as Sandalwood held Raines scoreless increasing their lead to twelve.
“She (Stewart) is a special kind of player, you get it from her on both sides of the ball, on offense and defense; she’s willing to go above and beyond for this team,” said coach Major.
Fittingly, it was McGee who provided the dagger when she hit a big three-pointer ( her second of the game) to put the game away. McGee led the Saints in scoring with 17 points, while Stewart and Nadya Mathews would finish with 11 points each for the Saints. For Raines, sophomore guard Ahilah Brown led Raines with 9 points, while Carswell finished with 8 points in the 42-30 loss.
Raines (18-4) and Sandalwood (13-4) are both very young teams, boasting several underclassmen starters as Sandalwood has only one senior on its roster, while Raines only has three seniors. This Gateway Conference rivalry has the potential of being Duval County’s version of the Golden State Warriors versus the Cleveland Cavaliers in Girl’s basketball, as both teams continue to mesh, mature and secure top middle school talent.
The Saints won their first Gateway conference in the history of the school last year. This year they topped that by going back to back, winning it again in 2019. They’ll look to keep that same energy for the district tournament in the coming weeks, as both Sandalwood and Raines turn their sights to a state championship run toward Lakeland.
