Holy Innocents' Boys Basketball Squad Wins Florida Tourney

Wednesday’s holiday basketball tournament action was more than golden for Holy Innocents’ – Coach Terry Kelly’s boys won their tournament in Pensacola while Tony Watkins and his girls came away with a win over one of the top teams in Pennsylvania.

Starting with the boys (10-3), it was the second straight holiday title for HI – they took this year’s Pensacola Catholic Crusader Basketball Classic with a 55-45 win over Escambia High School out of FL in the finale.

Richard Surdykowski was the man of the hour – the junior had career highs in both points and rebounds, scoring 20 and pulling 12 boards.

“He played the game of his life and set the bar high for future performances,” Kelly said. “His offensive presence was a stabilizing force and his defense on a 6’ 8” athlete helped limit Escambia to 30% shooting from the field.”

Kelly had two more score in double figures – Harrison Cobb and Cole Smith both netted 11. Smith also had six assists.

“Harrison’s six early points helped set the tone for this game,” Kelly added. “His mid-range jump shot is automatic.”

Jules Erving was also solid – the junior had six points, six rebounds and five assists, while Ibrahim Shabazz and Matt Meadows contributed six and four points, respectively.

“Jules, Ibrahim and Cole’s perimeter defense was stellar, limiting the Gators to 17 field goals,” Kelly said. “Our defense continues to evolve.”

After the championship, Kelly summarized his team in the early going with plenty of positives. “Our preseason schedule is as competitive as we’ve had years. We’ve played numerous larger public schools to prepare us for region play. As for this tournament, it was as much about growing together as a team as it was about basketball.”

HI advanced to the championship matchup after wins over Pensacola Washington and Waggoner High School.

Moving over to the girls (11-2), Tony Watkins’ Bears regrouped after a Tuesday loss and came away with a 79-58 win over North Alleghany of Pennsylvania in their holiday tournament in Naples.

“This was a great game for us,” Watkins said. “They are a top-10 team and they pressed us on defense and ran their sets on offense as well as any team we will see. This is why we made the trip to arguably the best holiday tournament in the country. We had a balanced attack and our girls played very well together.”

Looking at the key stats, Erika Cassell had 17 points and 18 rebounds; Kaila Hubbard followed with 17 points and eight boards. Kennedy Suttle netted 13 and had 13 rebounds while Khayla Pointer had 10 points, six assists and seven steals.

Aaliyah Milord and Shai Blanding also played well. Milord contributed six points and two assists; Blanding had six points, three assists.

The girls will be in action again today (Thursday) was they finish up holiday tournament action. Both teams will resume its 6AA schedule Tuesday, Jan. 5th at home against rival Pace.