Great holiday break for Somerset Silver Palm’s Martinez and Somerset-Pembroke Pines wrestling
Normally when a high school basketball player crosses the 1,000 point barrier, one would think that they are a junior or senior. But a freshman?
That’s exactly what happened with Somerset Silver Palms-Miami girls’ basketball player Ashley Martinez last week.
Competing in the SUTS Report New Year’s Classic at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Martinez, who began her “high school” career as a sixth grader at Silver Palms, scored 12 points in a 60-52 loss to Batavia-Illinois. That was one more than she needed to cross over as she began the night with 989 career points.
Martinez, who is averaging 16 points per game this season, scored 12 more the next day to help lead her team to a 55-50 win over Loxahatchee Seminole Ridge.
“Hitting 1,000 points seems like a big accomplishment to me, especially since I’m only a freshman,” said Martinez, “but without my teammates and coaches, this wouldn’t have been possible. Coach Drummer (head coach Benjamin Drummer) who’s been there for all 1,000 points and Coach (assistant coach George) Sands who has shown me that there is more than just winning and losing.”
While Martinez was happy about reaching the milestone, her team advanced to the Region 4-3A semifinals last season before falling to Miami Country Day and she’s hoping that the Stallions, who improved to 13-4 with the win over Seminole Ridge, have an even deeper run left in them this upcoming postseason.
“This is one of hopefully many accomplishments to come but it isn’t going to win us any championships,” said Martinez. “So it’s time to focus on the rest of the season and make everyone remember us.”
One must now wonder, considering she still has the second half of this season left and then three more full seasons beyond that, could 2,000 be possible? Granted hardly anybody gets to start out their high school playing career in sixth grade but, according to long-time Orlando Sentinel preps writer Buddy Collings (considered the “Wikipedia” of state high school records), it is believed that Northwestern’s Courtney Bullard (who scored 2,068 from 1980-84) might be the only Miami-Dade County girls player to ever accomplish the feat.
“It’s been a real pleasure coaching such a talented, hard working player in Ashley these last few years,” said Drummer. “To be able to do what she has accomplished at such a young age is truly remarkable and I’m very excited to see what level she can take it to in the next three years.”
Bill Daley
Wrestling
The Somerset Academy-Pembroke Pines wrestling team won a 1A district duals title.
In the finals, the Panthers edged Mater Lakes Academy 27-25.
Both teams advance to regionals.
Regionals are Thursday in Key West. Somerset wrestles Killian, and Mater Lakes Academy battles Key West. The winners will compete to qualify for state the following week in Kissimmee.
At district duals, Somerset also beat Miami Central 71-11 and SLAM 75-5.
More wrestling
The Cardinal Gibbons wrestling team did very well at the East Coast Catholic Cup at Benedictine College Preparatory in Richmond, Virginia.
They fought hard against some of the best wrestlers in the nation. Champion Michael Mocco, a freshman, won by major decision in the 190-pound finals, which clinched third place for the Chiefs.
Individual results for the Chiefs: Jonathan Hudson 4th; Nik Yancey 2nd; Frankie Florio 6th; Bryan Picallo 4th; Jason Simmons 6th; Dom Pantuso 4th; Michael Mocco 1st; Grant Cooper 3rd; Charles Johnson 5th.
More basketball
GIRLS: North Miami 42, Gulliver Prep 38: Jadore Hayes 24 pts, 25 rebs, 5 blks; Myiesha Herard 10 asts, 2 pts, 8 rebs, 8 stls; Amor Johnson 9 pts (3-5 3-ptrs), 4 stls, 4 rebs; Laila Henderson 2 pts, 2 blks, 5 rebs; Kindal Glanton 4 stls, 2 pts; Donnesha Morency 2 pts, 8 rebs, 2 stls. NM (7-7).
GIRLS: North Miami 58, Killian 40: Jadore Hayes 25 pts, 20 rebs, 8 blks, 2 asts; Myiesha Herard 13 pts (2-3 3-ptrs), 10 rebs, 2 stls, 5 asts; Alexia Nicolas 12 pts, 5 rebs, 8 stls, 8 asts, 2 blks; Kindal Glanton 5 pts, 2 stls; Amor Johnson 5 pts, 10 stls, 5 asts. NM (8-7).
BOYS: Braddock 83, Southwest 69: Brd: A.Lopez 21 pts, Sanchez 19, Perez 18, Suarez 15, Hernandez 6, Aquilar 2, Zenck 2. SW: Fernandez 17 pts, Lara 14, Abren 13, Diaz 9, Orama 6, Reyes 6, Pardo 2, St. Prix 2. 3-ptrs: Sanchez 2, Perez 1, Suarez 1. Rebs: Perez 16. Asts: Sanchez 7, Zenck 3. Stls: Sanchez 2, Perez 2, A. Lopez 2. Half: Brd 37-28. Brd (11-2).
BOYS: True North 82, Miami Christian 52: Jason ‘J-Roc’ Lopez (Fr) 29 pts, 7 stls, 4 asts, 5 rebs; Boosie Swan (Fr) 14 pts, 6 stls, 5 asts, 4 rebs; Ryan Rodriguez (So) 14 pts, 3 rebs, 3 stls, 3 asts; Jermaine Freeman (Sr) 9 pts, 14 rebs, 4 blks; CJ Gonzalez (Fr) 8 pts, 5 asts, 4 stls, 4 rebs; Danny Gonzalez (Fr) 6 pts. TN (12-2), MC (8-6).
Soccer
GIRLS: Pines Charter 1, Fort Lauderdale 0: FtL: Gkp Lily O’Neil 14 saves.
Submit sports results
For high schools in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have Winter varsity results along with top performers and their stats for this column, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
Basketball, soccer, wrestling.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. Send after the game, the next day or weekly. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online.
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
