This past Tuesday, on the McKinney Court at Miami Palmetto Senior High, The Panthers beat the Coral Reef Barracudas with a final score of 73-60. This was the first playoff game for Palmetto in the 7A District 16 playoffs.
The leading scorer for the Panthers, freshman Marcos Alberich, scored 17 points along with three three-pointers and seven rebounds.
“I started off cold, and down,” Alberich said. “I went into halftime and took a mental break and came into the second half with a different energy.”
A big contributor off the bench was Sophomore Rafael Diaz, who scored 10 points, seven rebounds and two steals. This is Diaz’s sixth game scoring in double figures.
Palmetto is looking to win Districts for the third time in a row, having beat Columbus in 2023 and South Dade in 2022.
The next playoff game for the Panthers is on Thurs, Feb. 8 at Miami Senior High at 7:00 p.m.. Miami Senior High won their last game on Tuesday against South Dade High School with a final score of 64-30.
“It’s gonna be tough because we already beat them once and they’re looking to respond,” Alberich said. “If we can beat them then we can beat them again.”
![“I did think [giving out autograph pages] helped give the feel of a signing party. I felt like it was a great way for the seniors to have the ability to interact with all their peers on their last day of school and to make memories they would never forget,” Miami Palmetto Senior High Palm Echo staffer and freshman Lucy Dwyer said.](https://www.thepalmettopanther.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/83215094-9BCB-4A83-A533-E392674F0403-1200x798.jpeg)
