Somerset Academy-Canyons girls basketball team dominated American Heritage-Delray to secured their third consecutive district title.
BOYNTON BEACH — Nearly unbeatable since the Christmas break, the Somerset Academy-Canyons girls basketball team seems to be peaking at just the right time.
The Cougars' defense put the clamps on American Heritage-Delray in the first half, paving the way for a 64-37 victory in the District 11-3A championship game on Feb. 5. It was the third consecutive district title for Somerset (19-4), the top-rated Class 3A team in the FHSAA rankings.
"We won the past two years, so to get three in a row is meaningful for us," said junior guard Delanie Doty, who finished with 14 points, including three 3-pointers. "But we have bigger aspirations."
The victory locked up the No. 1 seed in Region 3, assuring that the Cougars will have home-court advantage in every round of the regionals. They are hoping to win their first state championship and thus erase the bitter memory of an overtime loss to Jacksonville-Bolles in last year's semifinals.
Despite the loss, the Stallions (16-5) are assured of an at-large bid to the regionals, which begin Feb. 13.
On Jan. 7, Somerset traveled to Miami Country Day, ranked No. 1 in the state among all classifications, and dropped a hard-fought 50-47 decision. Since then, the Cougars have reeled off seven victories by an average of 23 points. That streak includes an emphatic 69-45 win over Grandview Prep, the state's No. 2 overall team, avenging an early-season loss.
Their dominant play continued in the first half against American Heritage. The Cougars went on an 18-0 run at the start of the second quarter to take a 41-9 lead, holding the Stallions scoreless for more than six minutes.
"Their defense is what impresses me most," Heritage coach Victor Rivera said. "It's beautiful the way they help each other, the way they close out on the ball. They box out, they rebound, they do everything you want your team to do."
Somerset coach Anthony McCutcheon said the defense is "the engine of our offense."
"That's the thing my coaches and I have been putting a huge emphasis on," he said. "Last year when we got to state, (Bolles) had a short, quick guard who kind of messed us up in the second half. We've been trying to do a better job of containing guards and then a better job of boxing out on rebounds and getting out and running."
With the game firmly in hand, McCutcheon rested his starters for much of the second half. Junior guard Alanna Fabrini finished with 15 points to lead five Cougars in double figures. Doty added 14 and three teammates scored 10 — sophomore forward Alana Pinnock, who has attracted interest from multiple Division I teams; senior forward Dylande Innocent; and junior forward Abigail Philistin.
While conceding that his team has bigger goals, McCutcheon wasn't minimizing the importance of winning a district title.
"The more championships we can get, the better," he said. "Five years ago when I took over this program, I don't think they had anything. The girls have just really bought in and we're trying to win as many games as possible.
"To be able to win three straight district championships is still an accomplishment, and I think the more we win, the better they like the feel of it and the more they hate to lose."
Rivera, whose team finished 7-14 last season, was encouraged by the way Heritage responded in the second half, when the Stallions actually outscored the Cougars 24-23. Junior forward Briyanna Dodin scored a team-high 15 points.
"They're a great team -- offensively, defensively, all-around," Rivera said. "That was the toughest team we played all season, and it kind of got to them a little bit (in the first half). I told them in the locker room, 'Don't let anything that's happening affect you. Just be who you are. Don't be intimidated, don't be affected.' Then we came back with a different attitude and had a different second half.
"I'm proud of this team. They had a tough past few seasons, and they've already done what nobody thought they could do."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Somerset-Canyons girls basketball wins district title, eyes state
Category: General Sports
