Shared from the 1/25/2016 The St. Augustine Record eEdition

GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT BASKETBALL

Time for stars to shine

» Quixley among area playmakers who could shift postseason fates

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DARON.DEAN@STAUGUSTINE.COM

St. Augustine’s Alyssa Quixley powers through Menendez defenders on Friday at St. Augustine high School.

The high school girls basketball postseason begins this week, which means it’s time for the stars to shine.

Bartram Trail, Nease and St. Augustine will be counting on their Division I signees to lead the way in this week’s district tournaments. The keys to those teams’ success, however, may not be how many points the stars put up, but how well the other players perform.

“We really like to have a balanced attack,” said Nease coach Sherri Anthony.

Florida signee Sydney Searcy leads the Panthers (19-5) in scoring with 18.5 points per game, but Nease also has three other players — Alex Romanello, Kyla Dorisca and Kiya Turner — who average in double figures.

“Sydney’s presence on the floor makes a big difference,” Anthony said. “She does a little bit of everything. She brings a lot to the table, but we expect everybody to step up. Everybody has to play their role.”

St. Augustine’s Alyssa Quixley, who will play at the University of New Orleans next year, not only runs the Yellow Jackets’ offense but also is counted on to score consistently. The senior leads St. Johns County with 21.4 points per game. Post player Courtney Cox, who has signed to play at Division II St. Leo next year, is the Jackets’ only other double-figure scorer at 11.4 ppg.

“Not having a point guard, Alyssa not only has to run our offense, she has to get her own shots,” St. Augustine coach Eric Hancock said. “If she has an off night, it’s going to be a close game, but if she has a great night, we’ll win easily. Most games, she has a great night.”

Bartram Trail center Kirsten Clement can take over games or she can take on a complementary role. The 6-foot-2-inch University of North Florida recruit can score inside, pass out of the double team, rebound and even lead the break.

“It all starts with Kirsten, and the nice thing is she’s a really good teammate,” Bartram Trail coach Jake Teuscher said. “She’ll do whatever we need her to do. And luckily our other players don’t defer to anybody. They’re not afraid to make a play.”

Nease and St. Augustine have split this year, with the Yellow Jackets winning by three points at home on Dec. 3 shortly after Searcy returned from a high ankle sprain. Nease won 58-47 two weeks later. The tie-breaker could come on the Panthers’ home court Thursday in the District 3-6A championship game.

“We our coming together as a team,” Quixley said of the Jackets (19-7), who have won five of their last six games. “Our chemistry is really clicking.”

Quixley said the key to St. Augustine having a successful postseason is defense.

“Offense will come,” she said. “But defense is what wins games and is what we mainly have to focus on. We have to make sure we’re down there for the rebounds and be strong underneath the basket. Nease and Middleburg (the Jackets’ semifinal opponent Tuesday) don’t have the tallest people. They don’t have someone like Kristen Clement, so if we’re not hitting the shots from the outside, we should be able to dominate the paint with rebounds and getting put-backs.”

Defense is Searcy’s forte. The 5-foot-8-inch guard averages 5.2 steals and 4.9 rebounds.

Like Clement and Quixley, Searcy is counted on to be the team’s leader, but Anthony said her role is no more important than any other on the team.

“Sometimes Sydney tries to do too much,” Anthony said. “When someone else doesn’t do their job, she tries to do it too. If everyone does what’s asked of them we won’t have to worry about that.”

Clement has a combination of height and athletic ability that makes her hard for any player to defend.

“If teams put a post player on her, she take her off the dribble,” Teuscher said. “If they put a guard on her she’ll go in the post. She can play with her face to the basket or her back to the basket. When you have a plyer like that, you have to take advantage of it.”

But if teams try to keep the ball out of Clement’s hands, the Bears have other players who can pick up the slack. Guards Autumn Brown (11.0 ppg) and Addison Adzema (9.2 ppg) and forward Kayley Chisholm can all pick produce.

The Bears are seeded second in District 7-4A. They split with top seed Oakleaf this season. Bartram Trail hosts the district tournament. With Clement leading the way, Bartram Trail could be on the way to advancing deep into the playoffs for a fourth-straight year.

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