O'Mariah Gordon and Cheyenne Stubbs score 57 of Braden River's 79 points in win
BRADENTON
Braden River’s pair of fantastic freshman guards pumped in a 57 points Monday night to lift the Pirates to a 79-67 victory over a pesky bunch of visiting Southeast Seminoles.
O’Mariah Gordon poured in 30 points and running mate Cheyenne Stubbs collected 27 more for the Pirates (15-6) in what turned out to be a well-played, fast-paced, high-scoring girls' basketball game.
Southeast (12-10) kept the pressure on the Pirates, trailing 32-29 late in the second quarter before Braden River went on a 10-0 run for a 13-point lead at the intermission.
The Seminoles outscored Braden River by one point in the second half. But Braden River’s freshman tandem proved too much to overcome.
“They have had a lot of great coaches in their lives,” Braden River coach Kristen Fulmer said of her freshman backcourt. “They have an awesome understanding of basketball, especially for being so young. They play so well with their teammates.
“I was also impressed with my post players. Southeast is a pretty tall team. They helped each other and played good defense. It’s good to see all of them work together to get a team win.”
Gordon and Stubbs got plenty of help from another underclassman. Sophomore Julia Rodriguez added 17 points as the trio combined for 74 of Braden River’s total of 79 points.
Despite being one of the shortest players on the court, Gordon also paced the Pirates on the boards with eight rebounds. Rodriguez was right behind her with seven rebounds.
Gordon led all players with seven steals. She was one of the main reasons the Seminoles turned the ball over 28 times, compared to just eight turnovers for Braden River.
The Seminoles also had three players reach double figures. Junior center Nikita Frolova led the way with 18 points. Freshman Perryaunna Youmans and junior Amoni Waiters contributed 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Southeast gets back into district play Friday night when it hosts Dunedin. The Seminoles are 7-2 in their district.
The Pirates are back in action tonight, hosting a district foe in the Venice Indians. Braden River finishes its regular-season district schedule Thursday with a game at Lakewood Ranch. The Pirates are 8-0 in district play.
Fulmer graduated from Lakewood Ranch in 2006 as the school’s leading scorer and rebounder.
“It’s always a little weird going back to that gym,” Fulmer said. “I’m a proud Pirate now.”