By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer

Unlikely rivals Poinciana and Celebration share the early-season lead for the Orange Belt Conference girls basketball title.

Many would have seen Poinciana, the defending 4A District 6 champions, coming. The Eagles moved to 4-0 on the season and 2-0 in the OBC earlier this week, entering a key county game against Osceola Friday night.

They struggled early knocking down shots on Tuesday at Gateway, but used a 15-0 third-quarter run to finish off the Panthers, 66-54.

Point guard Geri Navarro (19 points) and forward Brandii Walker (14 points, nine rebounds, three blocks) combined for 19 of Poinciana’s 24 third-quarter points, as it trailed Gateway (2-4, 1-2 in OBC) 31-29 after Jelisha Peterman (13 points) drained a three-pointer a minute into the third quarter. It was Gateway’s last lead, as Poinciana cranked up the pressure defense that led to easy transition buckets.

Five minutes later, the Eagles led 44-31 and never gave that lead back.

“We didn’t play well early on, and I take the blame for that,” PHS Coach Jamerson Jones, the county’s reigning Dean Cherry Coach of the Year winner, said. “We came out flat and that was nothing to complain about.

“I’m glad for the win, but we have to improve. The good news is there’s plenty of season for that.”

Navarro was 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the second half to keep Gateway at bay, but the Panthers never looked out of it from an effort standpoint. Sophomore Tiffany Charneco, who had a game-high 20 points and 14 rebounds, paced the hosts to a 15-13 first-quarter lead. They trailed 28-26 at halftime.

Point guard Jamie Olivo scored 10 of her 14 points in the fourth quarter as Gateway used a pair of 7-2 runs to get as close as six points.

The Eagles defeated

New Dimensions, 63-12, on Wednesday. Derriyan Woodson led the way with 15 points.

But it’s Celebration, which brought back much of its scoring punch and bench from last year, which has been a quiet surprise.

The Storm is 6-1 after a 59-11 win over Windermere Prep on Wednesday in which Julianna Milan and Christina Ricci each scored 13 points.

It was a 52-49 win over Osceola Monday that put the Storm into conference contention and ended the Kowgirls’ three-year unbeaten streak in the OBC.

Celebration distributed the scoring evenly as it broke the Osceola press and opened a double-digit halftime lead before the Kowgirls (3-3) trimmed the lead to nine, 43-34, entering the fourth quarter.

Milan led with 14 points, but Gida Victor added 13, Gabby Ortiz had 12 and Ricci scored 10.

“It was a hard-fought win,” CHS Coach Robert Mouchet said. “Osceola had a furious comeback, but thankfully we were able to build a nice lead. Gida (and her 16 rebounds) has been a beneficial addition for the team.”

Celebration went into the Osceola game after winning the Mount Dora Bible Thanksgiving Tournament. The Storm beat St. Cloud, 40-36, in overtime, then topped Orlando Christian Prep, 44-41, in the title game.

The Bulldogs (2-4), despite their record, are improving under new coach Chad Ansbaugh, St. Cloud’s athletic director. The four losses have come by less than 20 points combined.

“We are getting better everyday,” he said. “We started with a big win over Liberty and have competed in each game. We know we are competing with teams that are established and have been somewhat successful. We want teams to have to fight to beat us.”

Meanwhile, at Osceola, Coach Barner Cooks said his team had, “our backs to the wall,” going into games against Haines City (a District 5A-6 contest) Thursday and the Poinciana game Friday.

“I have never been 3-3 in my coaching career,” he said. “My favorite quote from Ernest Hemingway is: ‘Courage is grace under pressure.’ We’re going to see how much courage this team has.”

Returning starters Chanel Chillers and Iyanna Price are each averaging a near double-double, and newcomer Montana Bass (9.4 points per game) has provided a welcome scoring jolt.

Tuesday, Osceola (at Liberty, 5A-6), St. Cloud (at Poinciana, 4A-7) and Celebration (hosting Eustis, 4A-7) play district games. Gateway and Celebration will visit Harmony Thursday and Friday in OBC play.