The Seminole Ridge High School girls varsity basketball team hosted rival Royal Palm Beach High School on Thursday, Jan. 30 and easily defeated the Wildcats 71-18.
The Hawks went on a seven-point run to start the contest and led Royal Palm 7-2 early on. Seminole Ridge was solid under the boards, winning most of the rebounds and forcing turnovers to enter the second period with a 17-4 advantage.
The Hawks extended that lead to 24-4 in the first two minutes of the second period, continuing to build momentum. Defensively, they shut down the Wildcats most of the first half.
Royal Palm Beach did manage to claw into the Hawk lead, putting up eight more points before the half ended, but Seminole Ridge logged an additional 24 points as well and led 48-10 at the buzzer. India Shepherd, Jahnae Midget and Ashley Thornton were accurate from the outside for the Hawks, combining for six three-point baskets in the first half.
Royal Palm Beach scored the first points of the second half, and a three-point basket by Samantha St. Jean indicated that the Wildcats were on their way to rally. The Hawks buckled down defensively and continued quick counter attacks off of several rebounds and missed Royal Palm Beach passes. The Hawks were able to add 23 more points later in the second half.
The Wildcats never surrendered, occasionally hitting the net, but it would not be enough to close the large gap. With the 71-18 victory, Seminole Ridge improved to 17-5 on the season, while the Wildcats fell to 9-8. Midget totaled 27 points and Shepherd recorded 22 points for the Hawks. Ramya Flowers had eight points for Royal Palm Beach.
