From Staff Reports
The sixth-grade Cleveland Middle School Raiders boys basketball team improved to 6-3 with an impressive win over the Lake Forrest Bruins.
The game was competitive early on as the Raiders led 18-7 at the end of the first quarter. Cleveland outscored Lake Forrest 18-0 in the second quarter to erase any doubt on the outcome of the game.
The second half was a much slower-paced game. Cleveland added 10 more points and Lake Forrest six. The final score of 46-13 was a positive way for Cleveland to head into Thanksgiving break.
KK Curry led the Raiders offensively with nine points, all in the second quarter. Romeo Wykle and Deontae Davis each scored seven points. Christian Singleton had six points and Taye Cobb scored five for the Raiders.
Bently scored nine points, including a pair of three-pointers, for the Bruins.
“I was very satisfied with our hustle and teamwork,” Cleveland head coach Matthew Rodante said. “If we play our best for the remainder of the season, we won’t lose another game. But that’s a big ‘If.’”
Two of Cleveland’s three losses are to seventh grade squads. Against six grade teams, the Raiders are 5-1. The Raider’s next game is Dec. 7 at Meigs Middle School.
Bruins, Colts split
The Lake Forest Bruins and the Ocoee Middle School Colts split a pair of games played at Ocoee Middle School. The eight-grade Bruins pulled out a 52-42 win, while the seventh-grade Colts cruised to a 47-23 victory.
The Lake Forest eight graders jumped on the Colts early to take a 16-2 lead after the first quarter, and stretched the margin to 29-12 at the half. The Bruins shot a torrid 55 percent from the floor in the first half in taking the lead. The Colts staged a furious rally in the fourth quarter, cutting a 22-point Bruins’ lead to the final margin.
Kiran Allen led the Bruins with 17 points, while Rashad Marshall tallied 16. Tyrell Pitner and Matthew Maynard each added six, with Maynard pulling down eight rebounds.
“I was proud of our team's effort. We bounced back from a couple of tough losses,” said Coach Andrew Nipper. Matthew Meadows of OMS lead all scorers with 18, with Bryce Nunnelly tossing in 13 for the Colts.
The seventh-grade Colts remained unbeaten jumping to a 39-11 half-time lead and coasting to the victory.
Brady Swafford paced the balanced Colts offense by scoring 12 points. Cooper Melton added nine, with Cole Copeland chipping in eight. Ty Beavers lead the Bruins with seven points.
Aqua Tigers swim
at Martha Bass
Several Cleveland Aqua Tigers swimmers raced against hundreds of the best swimmers from this region recently including teams from Nashville, Georgia, Alabama and Kentucky and held strong against the stiff competition.
Eight-year old, Alexia Jackson led the team in the 8-under girls division with several top finishes including fourth in the 25 yard freestyle and 7th in the 25 yard backstroke. 8 year old, Jacob McDaniel who came in 9th in the 25-yard freestyle. Seven-year old Spencer Payne who came in seventh in the 25-yard breastroke, led the 8-under boys. The 10-under girls were led by nine-year old Grayson Payne, who had some strong finishes including seventh in the 50-yard backstroke and 10th in the 100-yard backstroke.
All of the swimmers from CAT showed improvement in their personal best times and it was obvious that there efforts in the winter swim season are already paying off.
“It is so rewarding for the kids to see their times drop, and we are tremendously pleased with the improvement we are seeing in each of our swimmers” said Sandy Payne, CAT board member.
