Lady Rays Win PCAC Basketball Championship

basketball-rays

The MIA girls basketball team after their win last Friday.

Kathryn Barry, Associate Editor

Our Lady ballers had another phenomenal night, and this time brought home a title. The Everglades City Gators had edged out Donahue Academy in the Semi’s, which pitted them against the Rays Thursday night. With a final score of 57-22, our ladies became the first Lady Rays basketball team to clinch the Paradise Coast Athletic Conference.

The game started off as a back and forth defensive battle, but the Rays soon got it going, hitting multiple layups and draining 3 three-pointers. The second quarter was another defensively based quarter. After halftime, the Lady Rays were dominant. The Rays played stifling defense in the third quarter, holding the Gators to zero points in the period. The Rays then pulled further ahead in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 points to the Gator’s 10.

“I am very proud of our ladies. They started a little tight with some nerves, but once they hit their stride, there was no stopping them. I am extremely pleased with our team’s improvement over the season. It has been an honor to coach this fine group of young ladies. We are looking forward to working in the off-season to build our program.

— Coach Travis Barry

All the Rays were able to contribute to the stat sheet, especially seniors Megan and Bridget Sweeney. Megan put up 13 points, 18 rebounds, and had 4 nice steals. Bridget had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 deflections. Juniors Cadence and Jocelyn Snover also had big contributions. Cadence had 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Jocelyn had 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. As our sole sophomore, I was able to chip in some three-pointers and a few assists and steals. The freshman showed out well. Piper Noyes and Katelin Reisinger had 4 points each. Ava Tobiason had a nice steal, and Emily Reisinger grabbed a strong rebound.

To wrap up the girls’ season, the Lady Rays played and won against Bonita Springs on Friday night, with a final score of 50-25. The last game of the season was Saturday night against Oasis, which ended in a 63-36 victory for the Rays. The Lady Rays record ended at 14-2, which is the most wins for women’s’ basketball in MIA history. The ladies had an amazing season, and the seniors Megan and Bridget will be missed by the players, coaches, and fans alike. The ladies are already looking forward to next basketball season. Go Rays!