The score was 65-7 at the half.
The girls varsity basketball team won big against Osceola, 85-18. A couple days later against Oviedo, it was 77-19. Then it was Lake Brantley, 60-24.
With these early season blowouts, the girls are well on their way to a record breaking season.
“We were able to keep passing the ball and moving. It just came down to us executing as a team,” forward Kylee Kits said.
A big change from last year to this year was two new transfers and a new coach for the team. Whitney Tossie, Kits and point guard Narelis De Alba are the new additions.
Tossie grew up in Oviedo playing basketball and went on to play at Appalachian State University from 2004-2008. Kits is a 6’4” transfer center from Faith Christian Academy who is committed to play at the University of Florida next year. De Alba is a guard who transferred from Lake Mary.
“Our transfers and coach have really helped us build our team,” shooting guard Ciara Hayes said. “The team chemistry is great this year and our skill is there too. We still struggle on some points but we are getting better.”
Last year’s head coach, Josh Kohn, led the girls to a district title, 51-50 win against Colonial and followed by a run in the regional semi-finals, 47-39 rematch loss against Colonial. This year, Tossie hopes to continue the program’s rise.
“We are looking to defend the district championship and beyond,” Tossie said. “We are young and we will continue to grow and get better each game.”
The difference between coaches has not gone without notice from the team, as they are still getting used to Tossie but have made significant progress.
“Coach[Tossie] is really quick to point out something compared to our old coach[Kohn]. We are still getting used to how coach runs her practices and how she prepares us,” Hayes said.
Kits has been the focal point of the offense so far, and she scored 72 points in the first three games. She is averaging 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds and 4.7 steals per game. In a 50-45 win against East River, she scored 40 out of the 50 points.
Kits is a year younger than most of her classmates, but is ready for the next level.
“I went a year ahead because I want to be prepared for college,” Kits said. “I get another year to prepare myself.”
Along withs Kits, De Alba has been getting used to her new transition from Lake Mary. She already has 28 points this season and averages five assists per game.
“I knew some of the girls that were already here and that the school itself was good for education,” De Alba said. “ I was ready for a fresh start and I am glad I came over here. We still have some work to do but it has been going well.”
Even though the girls will continue to score as much as they can throughout a game, it is still not their main goal.
“Scoring comes with how we play. We are able to figure out how we play with each other and what we like and dislike,” De Alba said.
Hayes, Celine Merlin, Delaney Siegmund, Brooke Leonard, Isabel Lindauer and Erin McCloud are all returners for the team from last year. Even with the new transfers, the whole team gets playing time because there are only eight girls on the team.
“It’s a great thing because everyone is more involved in the team. Everyone gets their minutes and we have bonded because of it,” Kits said.
While the team has handled local teams with ease, the biggest challenge came from an elite tournament last weekend, with losses to DME Academy, a 10-0 team from Daytona Beach ranked #10 nationally, and Central Pointe Christian Academy, the #3 ranked prep school in the nation.
The team returned to the regular schedule this week with games against Spruce Creek and Jones, and with regular season games running through the end of February, the team has plenty of time to see how much potential they have.
“The team is off to a great start,” Tossie said. “I am excited to see what we are able to accomplish as a team. The girls have been able to take care of business.”
