GIRLS BASKETBALL DISTRICT ROUNDUP: Deltona speeds to tournament win over Sandcrabs

DELTONA — Bryanna Simmonds claims she doesn’t get tired on defense.

Despite being an active member of the Deltona Wolves’ stifling full-court press, the senior said she doesn’t wear down at all.

Tuesday, her teammates didn’t, either.

The Wolves (10-14) used their press to generate steals and turned them into points. They routed the Seabreeze Sandcrabs 78-32 at Deltona High School to advance to the semifinals of the 5A District 4 tournament. The fourth-seeded Wolves will travel to No. 1 Mainland Wednesday.

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“For our program, we mostly start on the defensive end,” Simmonds said. “It has to go from defense to offense.”

That’s the way Deltona tallied its first bucket of the first quarter. After one of her teammates grabbed a steal and launched a long outlet pass to Simmonds, she pulled up and banked in a 3-pointer in transition. It put the Wolves ahead 3-2.

The two teams were tied 5-5 halfway through the first quarter when Simmonds put Deltona in front for good with two free throws that kicked off a 12-0 run. It led by double digits the rest of the game.

“I didn’t do anything specific,” head coach Hjalmar Suarez said. “I just told them, ‘Right now, it’s who wants it more.’ I told them, “We have to play our brand of basketball.”

The Wolves opened the contest up and sealed it shut between the two-minute marks in the second and third quarters. In those eight minutes of game time, they embarked on a 32-1 run, getting buckets on fast breaks off long rebounds or steals.

They established a running clock in the third quarter. 

With two minutes left in the third and Deltona leading 75-27, Suarez removed his starters and called off the full-court press. He wanted to save their legs before their showdown with the Buccaneers.

“We’ve got some athletes on this team,” Suarez said. “We’ve been preaching all season, “If you guys play to your potential, we have one of the best teams in the area. But we have to play to our potential.’”

Three Wolves reached double figures in scoring. Simmonds poured in a game-high 28 points. Senior Paris Allen and junior Shenell White had 21 and 14, respectively.

Sophomore Keeva Heggins paced the Sandcrabs with 10 points, all of which came in the first half.

Tuesday was the first matchup of the season between Deltona and Seabreeze. The Sandcrabs now hold a 7-11 overall record.

The Wolves played Mainland in their third game of the season and lost 66-33. Suarez loves the growth he’s seen since then, though.

“We’re playing good at the right moment,” he said. “I like where we are right now. I do.”

Here is a look at other area games from Tuesday:

Menendez 57, Pine Ridge 22

Third-seeded Menendez built a huge first-half lead and never lost it, trouncing No. 6 Pine Ridge in the 5A District 4 tournament. The Falcons outscored the Panthers by 20 in the first quarter and 15 in the second quarter.

Menendez (15-11) will play No. 2 St. Augustine in the semifinals Wednesday. Pine Ridge dropped to 6-20.

Nease 58, Fletcher 15

Behind 17 points from Cami Robinson and 12 from Kendyl Ryan, second-seeded Nease advanced in the 6A District 3 tournament with a win over No. 7 Fletcher.

Nease (20-5) didn't allowed more than six points in a quarter. It scored more than 20 in a period twice, including in the first quarter to set up a game-long lead.

The Panthers will take on No. 3 Ponte Vedra at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Orange Park High School.

Ponte Vedra 62, First Coast 21

Ponte Vedra dispatched No. 6 First Coast in the 6A District 3 bracket, setting up a rematch with rival Nease in the semifinals. The Sharks pushed their record to 14-8.

Ponte Vedra squared off with the Panthers earlier this month but lost 49-38. Wednesday’s contest is set for 6 p.m. at Orange Park.

Creekside 68, Atlantic Coast 28

Third-seeded Creekside took care of Atlantic Coast in the first round of the 7A District 1 tournament. 

The Knights boosted their record to 12-13 and advanced to a semifinals matchup against No. 2 Bartram Trail. Bartram Trail enters Wednesday’s game off a first-round bye.

Sandalwood 41, Flagler Palm Coast 21

No. 5 Flagler Palm Coast fell to Sandalwood in the first round of the 7A District 1 tournament. The Bulldogs' record drooped to 13-12.

West Port 44, DeLand 18

DeLand’s season came to a close Tuesday in the first round of the 7A District 2 tournament. The sixth-seeded Bulldogs finished with a 1-18 record.

Seminole 63, University 25

No. 5 University fell to No. 4 Seminole 63-25 in the first round of the 7A District 2 tournament . The Titans’ record sits at 9-14.