Prep Hoops Sun Bash: Scoring record highlights Carrollwood Day’s win

TAMPA — Relentlessly, Carrollwood Day guard Malcolm Whitlow kept driving to the basket Saturday afternoon against Durant.

And Whitlow kept scoring and scoring and scoring and scoring.

By the time the final horn sounded he had racked up a school record for points in a game at 47, and most importantly to him he helped the Patriots take the victory, 78-60.

"I felt like I could score at will today," said Whitlow, a junior who moved from Nebraska over the summer. "I was determined because I didn't have my best game (on Friday, scoring 22 in a 57-45 loss to Alonso). I wanted to come back strong today."

In the end, Whitlow's performance was one of many bright highlights in a string of 10 games held on Saturday as part of the inaugural two-day Prep Hoops Sun Bash shootout at Carrollwood Day School.

"I thought we played pretty well today," first-year CDS coach Teddy Owens said. "This whole team has bought in to what we want to do and how we want to do it. They always play hard."

The Patriots' perseverance paid off on Saturday after Durant (1-9) played tough through the first quarter. The Cougars, in fact, led 14-12 after the first eight minutes and trailed only 26-20 at the half.

In the third quarter, however, Whitlow and CDS (7-2) found their groove and pushed the lead to 45-30.

Durant, led by Jeff White (18 points) and Ak'mee Burton (16), cut the gap to 11 points midway through the fourth quarter, but never got any closer.

Owens said he was happy with how his team kept pressing the accelerator and feels good heading into next week where CDS will play three games, including two against district opponents, Shorecrest and Tampa Prep.

"We feel good about where we're at," Owens said. "And we really look forward to what's ahead."

In other Sun Bash action on Saturday:

• In the first game of the day at 8 a.m., Nature Coast defeated Canterbury 81-55. Nature Coast's Robert McAfee led all scorers with 34 points while Canterbury's Rivers Lenholt had 28. Nature Coast improved to 16-0 with the victory and Canterbury dropped to 5-6.

• Superior Collegiate followed with a 60-51 victory over Anclote. Superior's Robert Hardy finished with a game-high 27 points and Anclote's Jakob Hester was solid with 22. Superior Collegiate improved to 8-5 and Anclote stands at 6-8 on the season.

• Alonso was one of the rare teams to go 2-0 at the inaugural Sun Bash event, finishing Saturday with a 65-44 victory over Santa Fe Catholic. Sager Cavalier led the Ravens (10-3) with 19 points.

• Palm Glades defeated Bayshore Christian 69-48. Da'Aundre Kitt led the Faith Warriors (5-7) with 14 points.

• Despite a solid comeback by Newsome, Lake Gibson held on to defeat the Wolves 56-47. At the half, Lake Gibson led 32-11, but Newsome outscored the Braves 36-24 after intermission. Jake Brazinski led the Wolves (6-5) with 13 points.

• In the last game of the day featuring a team from the area, Creekside defeated Plant 56-46. The Panthers (10-3) led for much of the game, including a 30-19 advantage at the half. In the fourth quarter, however, Creekside outscored Plant 17-5. Dylan Wilson led Plant with 12 points.