Sandalwood HS- The Gateway Conference Tournament started on Monday night at Sandalwood High School with first round matchups: Fletcher vs. Lee and Sandalwood vs Atlantic Coast. Fletcher remains undefeated as they beat an undermanned Lee squad 43-30. Noticeably absent from Lee’s line-up was Sophomore Yakiya Milton who leads the team in scoring, rebounds and blocks averaging 10, 10 and 5.
Fletcher got out to a fast start and it appeared that the game might end up being a blowout. The Senatros led 26-11 at halftime. Lee fought back though, coming out of halftime with increased defensive intensity. The Generals actually won the second half 19-17, but the first half deficit was just too big to overcome. The balanced attack from Fletcher saw 6 of 10 of their players score, led by Chela Panganiban with 13 points. Lee was led by Senior Arryl Jackson with 10 points. Fletcher advances to the 2nd round to face Ribault on January 12, 2021.
In the second game of the night, Sandalwood defeated Atlantic Coast 77-39. Atlantic Coast played hard and kept it close early only trailing by 9 at the end of the first quarter. Sandalwood’s defensive pressure proved to be too much for the Stingrays to handle, as turnovers turned into easy baskets at the other end.
Not to mention a steady diet in the post of Sophomore Jada Jones, who ended the night with 31 points. Sandalwood also shared the ball well as every player on their team scored. Atlantic Coast was led by Jefferson with 14 points, Bonner with 12 points and Fiffer with 9 points. Sandalwood advances to the 2nd round to face Jackson on January 12, 2021.
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