WEST PALM BEACH – The Palm Beach Gardens Lady Gators are as good as advertised, as evidenced by Saturday’s matchup against Suncoast.
Gardens standout and UCF commit Kiera Brown connected on a three-pointer in the early going, while Clare Whalen scored the first points for Suncoast. Zariyah Washington had a steal and layup midway through the first to ignite the Lady Gators on their scoring explosion.
Gardens, which led 19-7 at the end of the first, would continue to play tough defense in the second and score off turnovers. Dedriona Pope had back-to-back layups, along with a deep three by Brown that gave Gardens a 32-9 lead midway through the second.
Suncoast’s Noelle Bedard would knock down a clutch three to help the Chargers cause going into halftime, which would be at 36-17.
Bedard would show up late in the third with a quick three-pointer and jumper at the free throw line to cut into Gardens double digit lead.
Brown, who tallied 16 points in the first half, would shift the momentum back to Gardens on a long three late in the third. Kyandra Poitier added a deep three with a few seconds left in the third to give Gardens a comfortable 60-29 lead.
The Gardens dominance would continue in the final frame as the reserves got to see some action with the running clock rule in effect for most of the fourth quarter. The Lady Gators won by a score of 72-36.
TOP PERFORMERS
Palm Beach Gardens: Kiera Brown with 22 points
Suncoast: Noelle Bedard with 12 points
NOTES
Palm Beach Gardens: Brown is the Lady Gators leader and has a calm demeanor that seems to be contagious. Brown is basically another coach on the court as well.
The Gators (14-3) are well coached, play hard, and have a sense of togetherness. The team’s size and length play a big factor in their success. They are already a good team, and capitalizing on other teams’ mistakes is what makes them great and separate them from the pack in Palm Beach County.
Suncoast: The Chargers aren’t a bad team, but they were simply overpowered by Gardens. They’re well coached, but struggled to have a go to person that could take over and have an impact. The Chargers sport a 7-5 record that speaks volumes to the true team they are when they’re clicking.
