Kaylee Gilbreath is a multi-sport athlete currently playing a key role for the Jay Royals girls basketball team.
She’ll tell you softball is her favorite sport, but the sophomore standout said that basketball is rising up the charts on her favorite list.
Never mind that the television cameras were focused in on Milton’s game against Crestview in a District 1-6A battle last Tuesday night.
The Panthers were ready for the moment and got the job done on the road against the Bulldogs, winning 55-48 and avenging an earlier season loss to Crestview.
Alyssa Clark knocked down a 3-pointer in the corner as the final seconds of the opening quarter against Jay ticked away, the Pace bench erupting in cheers as Clark’s hot hand helped carry the Patriots to a 22-8 lead after one.
Jay and Central’s girls basketball teams are both in the top four in this week’s Region 1-1A rankings while Pace continues to hold down a spot in the top eight of the Region 1-6A rankings.
On the boys side, Jay is fourth in 1A and Milton remains seventh in 6A.
Things have changed a bit this week in the FHSAA Region 1-6A rankings.
Pace and Navarre have traded places in the girls rankings, with Pace going to fifth and Navarre now sixth.
Shannon Bryan moved up to the 139-pound weight class this year but hasn’t missed a beat.
And the Pace senior is feeling good about where she’s at as a lifter going into the postseason.
Looking for the team highlight of last Friday’s Navarre Invitational? That belongs to Pace’s girls weightlifting team, which repeated as champions in convincing fashion.
As for the top individual performance, that goes to Milton’s Dana Tolleson, who raised her game to another level, breaking invitational records and a school record.
Last week was another busy one across the high school sports scene and featured a huge upset as Central’s girls basketball team knocked off fourth-ranked Jay 58-56 Friday in a Region 1-1A rivalry game.
D’Anthony Bell recalls a story his mom told him when he was a child. Bell was just starting out in school and was asked by a teacher what he wanted to be when he grew up.
“It’s actually a funny story. I had never watched football before. I think I was in Pre-K and I was asked what I wanted to be, and I said NFL player,” Bell said. “It turned out to be a dream come true.”
Pace’s boys soccer team has certainly had a roller coaster of the last week or so, to say the least.
From losing 10-2 to Booker T Washington on Jan. 4 and then having a game canceled because of weather, to Thursday night when they faced off at home against Pine Forest.
