Primetime Panthers Girls Basketball Team at State Championship; First Row Kneeling: Lara Okta, Jessica Sarnelli, Katie Sarnelli; Second Row Standing: Ameera Kone (Honorary team member), Alexis Romer, Alexa Gutchess; Back Row Standing Caitlin Roycraft, Daniella Turner, Rachel Levy, Alex Roycraft, Coach Seydou Kone.
BOCA RATON, FL – The Primetime Panthers girls travel basketball team from West Boca Raton had a busy summer. The team of nine sixth and seventh grade girls first repeated as United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) State Champions in Tampa, Florida in June and less than a month later finished second at the USSSA Nationals in Fort Meyers, Florida.
After winning the 2011 USSSA State Championship in just its first year as an organized team, the Primetime Panthers committed to working even harder in order to reach the next level of competition. As a result of their hardwork, the team won nearly 80 percent of its games during the 2012 season. During the state tournament, the Panthers battled from Friday to Sunday with 18 other teams from around the state and ultimately won first place in the Division II seventh-grade bracket. On July 1, the team traveled to the national championships and lost a close fight to a team with a significant size advantage.
“This team has shown it can play with anyone in the region,” said first year coach Seydou Kone, who is also an alumnus of Florida Atlantic University’s Men’s Basketball program. “I am so proud of how they have grown as individuals as well as a team.”
