Naples Holiday Shootout: Westlake, Ensworth bring home Naples Holiday Shootout titles

No. 10 Atlanta-Westlake 63, Louisville-Sacred Heart (Ky.) 55

It was looking like the Valkyries from Sacred Heart Academy were going to pull off another upset against another ranked team, this time against Westlake, a team that played in the GEICO Nationals last season.

The Lions made sure that didn’t happen to them in the game that mattered most – the American Division championship game at the Naples Holiday Shootout.

Westlake was able to close out the game and win 63-55 thanks to 32 second-half points as well as 10 steals throughout the game. The Lions also made 21 of 29 free throws.

“What we did in that fourth quarter was not by accident,” Westlake coach Hilda Hankerson said. “We practice that. That’s by design. We are the two-time state champions in 7A (in Georgia) and we’re trying to three-peat. Every one of these players came back, except for one. They have a good instinct of how to close out a game, and that’s the thing that’s the hardest to teach unless you’ve experienced it.”

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Ta’Niya Latson had 28 points and won the Tournament MVP in the American Division. Her teammate, Raven Johnson, made the all-tournament team after she had six points, three rebounds, three assists, and six steals against the Valkyries. Sacred Heart’s Kristen Clemons made the all-tournament team after netting 20 points and seven rebounds.

Kentucky commit Erin Toller of Sacred Heart was shut down the entire game by the Westlake defense. She had just four points, went 2-of-8 from the charity stripe and fouled out late in the game. Toller was a critical piece in Monday night’s upset over No. 6 Tampa Bay Tech.

“We were really trying to keep her out of it,” Hankerson added. “She’s a fine athlete. She played very hard. She’s a great competitor, but it worked in our favor in the end.”

Triniti Ralston and Destinee Marshall both finished in double figures for the Valkyries, combining for 23 points. For Westlake, Lydia Freeman added 11 points and four rebounds.

Ensworth (Tenn.) 73, Germantown Academy (Pa.) 50

There was no stopping arguably the top-ranked team in Tennessee on New Year’s Eve.

The Tigers got off to a very hot start, shooting well north of 60% in the opening quarter en route to a 29-12 lead.

From there, they never looked back, as the Tigers brought home a 73-50 victory over Germantown Academy for the National Division championship.

“I think our girls were so excited to be able to come here and play in this tournament, especially a tournament of this caliber,” Ensworth coach Mary Taylor Cowles said. “So for us to come and play as well as we did and play against the type of competition and go home with the victory, I think that’s tremendous for us and our program.”

Ensworth couldn’t have had a better start to a game, picking off many Germantown passes in transition and grabbing rebounds on both ends of the floor.

“We just knew that Germantown Academy was so talented position-by-position,” Cowles added. “We really talked about our defense being the key to this game. Not only did our defense had to be on point, but when shot’s started falling as well as our shots did, they went hand-in-hand for us in the first quarter.”

Kaiya Wynn’s 24 points led both teams in the championship game. Wynn hauled in 11 rebounds and also brought home Tournament MVP honors in the National Division. N.C. State commit Dontavia Waggoner added 20 and made the all-tournament team..

For Germantown Academy, Jaye Haynes added 15 points for the Patriots and also made the all-tournament team.

Fayetteville (Ark.) 53, Miami Country Day 42

Fayetteville’s elite defense kicked into play against Miami Country Day, last year’s Naples Holiday Shootout champion.

The Bulldogs allowed just two points in the third and were able to build a double-digit lead in the third after leading by five at halftime.

Fayetteville had three scorers finish in double figures. Coriah Beck led the team with 17, Oregon State commit Sasha Goforth added 12, and Caroline Lyles had a double-double, netting 15 points and 13 boards. Beck was the representative for the Bulldogs on the all-tournament team.

“I thought the second we changed to a zone and bothered them a little bit, and we kept scoring,” Bulldogs coach Vic Rimmer said. “We came out and really had an attitude about us physically and mentally. We were very pleased with that part of the game and it got us some separation.”

For Miami Country Day, Sydney Shaw led all scorers with 18 points. Andrea Daley added 14 points and 11 boards, as she made the all-tournament team.

Bradley Central (Tenn.) 46, Tampa Bay Tech 43

An excellent all-around game by the Bearettes was enough as they were able to take down the sixth-ranked team in the country, according to USA Today.

University of Tennessee-Chattanooga commit Anna Walker came up huge for the Bearettes, scoring 27 points. She scored 16 of Bradley Central’s 24 points in the second half. The senior was also named to the all-tournament team. Walker was just one of five players to find the basket for Bradley Central.

The Titans outshot the Bearettes, making 19 of 39 shot attempts, compared to 18 of 49 by Bradley Central. However, the Bearettes (9-3) forced 18 turnovers and committed just five.

For Tampa Bay Tech (10-3), sophomore standout Janiah Barker ended with 14 points and was named to the all-tournament team. Jasmine Peaks and Kayla Murray added eight points apiece for the Titans.

St. Rose (N.J.) 62, Rock Bridge (Mo.) 44

The Purple Roses handled Rock Bridge easily in the fifth-place game of the American Division on Tuesday afternoon without junior star point guard Abby Antognoli, who had a minor injury Monday.

The talented trio of Florida signee Brynn Farrell, Lafayette signee Makayla Andrews, and Marie Tedesco netted 55 of the teams 62 points. Farrell, Andrews, and Tedesco also combined for 20 of the team's 31 rebounds. 

Missouri Science and Technology signee Eryn Puett had another excellent game for Rock Bridge, leading the team with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Missouri commit Averi Kroenke added 11 points for the Bruins.

Tampa-Plant 59, Louisville-Mercy Academy  27

Excellent defense throughout the game by Plant propelled the team to victory against Mercy Academy from Louisville in the fifth-place game of the National Division.

The Panthers allowed the Jaguars to make just 9 of 44 shot attempts – a 20.5% clip.

The second half was when Plant but the game away for good. They outscored the Jaguars 33-16 in the final two quarters after leading by 11 at the halftime break.

Nyla Jean led the way for the Panthers with 13 points.  Kendal Cheesman had a double-double for Plant, scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 boards.

Taziah Jenks led Mercy Academy with nine points.

Bishop Guertin (N.H.) 68, Barron Collier 17

The Cardinals from Bishop Guertin handled business from the opening tip against Barron Collier after dropping their first two games in the tournament on Saturday and Monday.

It was a balanced offensive attack for much of the day for Guertin. Six scorers had more than five points, with three eclipsing double-figures. Hannah Stack grabbed 11 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinals.

In the loss for Barron Collier, Jasmine Harris and Madisyn Walker each scored four points. Walker also had a team high three rebounds.

The Cardinals will return home to Nashua to pursue their fifth consecutive Division I title in New Hampshire.

Braden River 53, Fort Myers 52

The Pirates escaped with a one-point victory Tuesday morning over the Green Wave.

Braden River's O'Mariah Gordon led all scorers in this game with 26 points. The junior also added seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

For Fort Myers, Chaniya Clark returned to the floor after leaving Monday's game with a knee injury. The center scored 20 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. Janay Outten had a team-high four assists.