Pirates treasure record season

Braden River girls basketball coach Kristen Fulmer said she was “hiding in my own cave” following her team’s 76-72 loss Feb. 16 to North Port High in the regional quarterfinals.

She wasn’t hiding, really, just gathering her thoughts.

Fulmer was confident her team was prepared not just for the Bobcats, but for a long playoff run. She said after the game that defensive immaturity was a main reason for the loss. Two North Port seniors, Alexis Francavilla and Aryana Hough, combined for 57 of the team’s 76 points.

Defensive immaturity may have caused the early exit, but the Pirates’ youth is also responsible for this being the best season in program history. Braden River finished the year 20-7 after winning seven games over the previous three seasons combined. It won its first district title Feb. 9, an 89-58 win against Sarasota High.

Despite the turnaround, Fulmer is giving herself no time — literally — before moving on to next season.

“I’m already thinking about it,” Fulmer said. “Who do we need to schedule? What do we need to do to get better? We need to get in the weight room now because we, in a lot of games, had a size disadvantage. How do we compete with teams that are bigger than us?”

The disappointment of a playoff loss stings, but in time, this season will likely be remembered as the beginning of Braden River’s ascent.

The Pirates were sparked by three newcomers, freshmen guards O’Mariah Gordon and Cheyenne Stubbs and sophomore wing Julia Rodriguez, a transfer from Riverview High. All three girls play for the same AAU team, the Florida Future, and brought with them an innate chemistry.

Making room for the trio to shine meant some veteran players, like senior guards Hannah Witham and Dyamond Jacobs, had to take reduced roles. Other teams may not have handled this change well, but the Pirates embraced it, in part because of how the new players acted once they arrived.

“We had no problem with it,” said Witham, a team captain. “They came in humble. They had an attitude of, ‘Let’s help these ladies win.’”

Jacobs agreed and said the team simply wanted to win some basketball games, no matter who was leading the way. Braden River did that early, winning five of its first six games.

Even before then, players knew this team would be different. Witham said just talking about the chemistry developed by the team puts a smile on her face.

The mesh of young players and veterans turned out to be a perfect combination of personalities. These Pirates were “goofy,” “odd” and “awkward,” according to Jacobs, who added that the team’s rapport was impossible to put into words, but it worked.

After the district championship win, the team, sans coaches, went to Bogey’s Restaurant to celebrate and ended up singing karaoke together in between impromptu photo ops.

“Everyone was horrible,” Jacobs said, laughing. “We sang as a choir. Well, there was screaming and singing.”

After the loss to North Port, there was silence.

Next season, Witham and Jacobs will depart, as will center Amiya Hopkins and guard Emily Wykes. Everyone else returns. With another year of experience, Gordon, Stubbs and Rodriguez have a chance to do something even more magical. Whatever happens, this year’s seniors are thankful they were a part of history. Fulmer thanked them for their leadership and for sticking with a program they could have abandoned.

“It taught everyone to never give up,” Jacobs said. “We gave all we had, and look at where we are now.”