Seminole Athletes Shine in High School Basketball this Year

By Tony Heard

HOLLYWOOD — The high school basketball season is here and full of excitement. Forget about all the Kobe and Phil reunion in Las Angeles, never mind the Heat with all the new faces and Shaq not playing due to injury.

The focus right now should be on how many Seminole Tribal youth we have participating in high school basketball this year. Hard work in the off season and playing in tournaments throughout the summer has paid off for many youngsters in our community.

Two of the young athletes are Krystle Young and Meaghan Osceola, who are both ninth graders attending Pine Crest Academy and playing on the varsity basketball team. Pine Crest had their season opener on Nov. 14 against Archbishop McCarthy.

Even though Krystle and Meaghan had 20 steals and 15 points between the two of them, they suffered a close loss (37-41) at the hands of a very scrappy Archbishop team. With their knowledge of the game and undying hustle on the court both young ladies have already proven to be important assets to the team. It will be very interesting to see how the rest of their season pans out.

This shifts the focus to arch rival, American Heritage, one of their deadly opponents due solely to the fact that they will face their Lady Seminoles teammates, super Sophomores Chelsea Mountain and Demetria Tigertail; the “dynamic duo” on the varsity team at American Heritage.

These four young ladies know each other very well on the court and mesh even better when they are all in the same uniform. With their athleticism and defensive intensity they cause frustration and headaches to any opponents they face. The intensity will be at an all time high when they meet on opposite sides of the ball.

Demetria is the starting point guard for American Heritage. Known to all her friends simply as Dee, this little spark plug is usually the defensive nucleus and an offensive pacesetter on any team she is on. With powerhouse rebounder, and finisher Chelsea Mountain now controlling the paint more than ever this year, it is a toss up on who will come out on top in this game.

American Heritage lost their season opener to Kings Academy in a close game that was very exciting and intense with Dee having 17 points, six assists and seven steals. Chelsea also gave a wonderful performance with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

The heated match up between the four friends and the Lady Seminole teammates will take place two times this year, once on Dec. 3 at Pine Crest and again on Jan. 4 at American Heritage. Both games will likely be extremely competitive and full of excitement. Watching these young ladies go at it representing their respective schools will be interesting to say the least.

Who will end the season with the bragging rights? If things go right for both teams they could bump heads again in the playoffs.

Even though the University School just graduated two great basketball players and sisters in JoJo and Tasha Osceola, the program still has a potential star in the mist. The potential star in question is Katie Tiger. The five-foot-10-inch sophomore is beginning to come into her own and learning the game more everyday.

Katie gets significant minutes at the forward position and is a force defensively and on the boards. I am sure she would enjoy support from friends and community members at any games during the season.

From private to public school the Seminole youth are making their mark on their school basketball programs.

Another public school student who made her varsity basketball team is Lacey Jordan. She was one of the dedicated athletes who came to the gym on a daily to work on her skills so she would be ready to play as a freshman for Hollywood Hills.

Unfortunately, time management and academic scheduling was something Lacey was having a hard time adjusting to. Therefore, she decided to wait until next year to participate in sports so she would not fall behind in her studies. Once next year rolls around and she is comfortable with the high school lifestyle we will see her on the court giving her opponents all they can handle.

This next student athlete stands out on her high school basketball team. She attends Hollywood Christian Middle School. Yes, you read it right–middle school. Ariah Osceola is just in the sixth grade, stands four-foot-11-inches, yet she is the starting point guard on the Hollywood Christian High School basketball team.

For those who know Ariah and how hard she works on her game this comes as no surprise. But for those who don’t know, during the summer Ariah was in the gym constantly working on her ball handling, shooting, passing skills, and defense. When you first look at her, in no way will you be intimidated by her size, but don’t leave her open, three pointer’s, passing and the one dribble pull up are her specialty moves.

Once she makes a few three’s you’ll think twice about judging a book by its cover. Don’t let her small frame fool you; she has a tremendous amount of heart and determination. That comes from being one of the youngest players on the Lady Seminoles, traveling team.

She has been playing against older and bigger girls for a few years now. She manages to hold her own and is considered by her teammates to be one of the best shooters on the team. If her game keeps developing and she keeps working to improve, she is definitely someone we will be hearing about for a while.

We are in full support of all our student athletes. It is not easy to do what these young ladies are doing; it takes great dedication and discipline to put your body and mind through all the different obstacles that a season presents. It is good to have the tribe represented through our young ladies, not only in athletics but also in the classroom.

Regardless of athletic ability, these student athletes must be a good student before they can get on the court to compete. This lets us all know that we don’t only have tribal kids who are athletic and talented, but also handle their business in the classroom.