- November 1, 2024
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The ball had passed through the hands of several Bulldogs before it finally settled with Quetrina Brown. Her teammates slung the ball around the perimeter like a hot potato until Brown was found wide open in the right corner seconds before the end of the first half against Matanzas.
When the sophomore guard’s second 3-pointer of the night ripped the net, the Pirates collectively dropped their heads as they headed into the locker room staring at a 37-12 deficit.
“The goal is always the same,” Flagler Palm Coast coach Javier Bevacqua said. “To play unselfish basketball, move the ball around and see if we can get into deeper reads on offense.”
The Bulldogs (7-2) put their balanced offense on full display in their 66-23 win over the Pirates (4-6) on the night of Monday, Dec. 18, at FPC High School. It was FPC’s 11th-straight win over the crosstown rival.
Senior forward Skye Green led the Bulldogs with a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, guards Jimaya Baker and Dyman Howard combined for 24 points, and Brown tallied nine points on three 3-pointers.
“I feel like everybody shares the ball really well,” Baker said. “No one on this team is selfish, and we know we’ve got a D1 player in the post, so we always try to feed her as much as possible. But around the perimeter, we all eat.”
And even with a player like Green — who signed with Division I program University of North Carolina-Asheville in November — on the roster, the Bulldogs’ propensity to share the ball has been a mainstay since Bevacqua took over as coach nearly a decade ago.
“We’ve always tried to spread the love,” he said. “You never know when a major component goes down or something happens, so our goal is to always move the ball around. Everyone gets touches, and if you’re on, you’re on. If you’re struggling, it’s someone else’s turn to take over.”
Green, who recorded her ninth-straight double-figure scoring game on Monday night, said she is grateful to have teammates who can pick up the slack when she’s not playing her best.
“The girls I play with, I know they’re always going to have my back no matter what,” she said. “If I’m not doing my best one night, I know they’re going to be there to pick it up and carry the weight. I just think it’s a team effort. We really do love each other and we work well together. I think we’re going to finish this season out pretty strong.”