Half Court Press: Ribault, Kenny and Nease Impress In Wins

Northeast Florida- We’re half way through the week and some teams impressed with convincing wins over good opponents. Many of the top local teams have fallen to out of area teams early in the season, yet have come back home to dominate the competition. Check out some of the teams that impressed in our mid-week recap we deem the “Half Court Press”.

Ribault (4-1) has reeled off four wins in a row after defeating Lee 59-31 and Mandarin 65-45 in consecutive nights. Nigeria Harkless had 17 points versus Lee and 15 points at halftime of the blowout win.

Harkless and Asiana Britt are a formidable tandem that’s looked promising since their tip off classic debut. Their toughest test locally will be this Friday when they host Raines (5-2). ) The Lady Generals of Lee (0-6) fell to Parker (3-2) on Tuesday. They have a tough road to hoe with BK, Sandalwood, Raines and Middleburg ahead.


Bishop Kenny (5-1) defeated Bartram Trail (3-2) by a score of 58-37 Tuesday evening. Kenny was led by Miami commit Jasmyn Roberts with 22 points 4 assists and 5 steals. Maddie Millar chipped in with 12 points and Jamia Nesmith led the team with 10 rebounds and 7 points. Kenny is rolling right now, as their very experienced team as all but one of their wins as been by double digits (St. Cloud 55-46). Lee (0-6) is up next for the Crusaders.

The Bears received good efforts from Dyllan Hanna with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Emily Andres knocked down all three point shots scoring 9 points in the contest. It was a good test against arguably the best team in Northeast Florida. Bartram Trail looks to rebound against another tall test in Middleburg (1-3) Thursday as both teams have experienced early roster struggles due to injuries or Covid-19 concerns.


Nease(4-1) defeated Columbia (3-1) 66-55. Sophomore Camryn Robinson led the Panthers with 19 points, and junior Sydney Gomes was her partner in crime on the court with 17 points. Senior Desiree Robinson controlled the paint with 8 rebounds. Nease rebounded well after falling to Lakeway Christian (TN) 75-44.

Columbia’s Na’Haviya Paxton led all scorers with 32 points and Keturah Taylor led the team with 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Columbia showed why they were undefeated this year with the super talented Paxton who can score at will. With a wins over UC 58-47 already under their belt. Yet Nease was never threatened in the contest, as their team approach overwhelmed the Tigers from the start. Nease has a date with rival Ponte Vedra (3-1) Thursday.


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Andre' Ellis, Founder/ Lead Writer DuvalSports.com Florida Times Union All-City 1998,LB, Sandalwood Florida A&M Unv, BA , MBA