Middlebrooks leads Miami High on Senior Night

Stingarees pour it on in the second half as Middlebrooks scores 21 of his game-high 31 points over the final two quarters

MIAMI, FLORIDA – Senior guard Joshua Middlebrooks scored 31 points and dished out eight assists as the Miami High Stingarees earned a 70-41 victory over the North Miami Beach Chargers on Senior Night. The Stingarees pushed a 12-point halftime lead into a 21-point advantage after three quarters behind Middlebrooks’ 21 second half points.

Miami High (12-9) also received strong play out of its backcourt from Romari Robinson. The 6-foot-4 sophomore point guard finished with 15 points on numerous lay-ups and feeds from Middlebrooks in transition. Senior 6-foot-6 forward Jaycee Ruiz also gave the Stingarees a presence in the paint with 12 points.

Senior guard Joshua Middlebrooks erupted for 21 of his game-high 31 points in the second half as Miami High pulled away for a 70-41 win over North Miami Beach / Photo by Michael Costeines

“Very incredible, two nights ago he had 40 and tonight he had 30-plus,” said Miami High head coach Humberto Govea on Middlebrooks. “The last five games he’s been scoring 30-plus. He’s leading the way, but besides points he also tonight had eight assists. The other night he had six. He’s been rebounding and coming together. He’s been leading the way in the huddle and as well at school. He’s a great kid and I hope he’s leading the way to the next chapter of his life going into college.”

Middlebrooks’ all-around offensive performance included athletic drives off the dribble in the halfcourt and powerful dunks above the rim in transition. The 6-foot-4 playmaker also hit shots from the mid-range and drew multiple shooting fouls from deep. In part, eight of his points came from the free-throw line. He was also able to find Robinson in the open court for a number of his assists. Middlebrooks came into the night averaging over 23 points and six rebounds per game on 66 percent shooting from the field.

“Everybody’s joining together at the right time,” added Govea. “Robinson, our point guard, is solid. He’s been averaging almost ten assists and 20 points per game the last three or four games. One of our starters, AJ Cortes, averages 15 points and two three’s a game. He hasn’t played in about two weeks cause of injury. He’s back today and got into rhythm. All across the board, it was a team effort, a family effort. I love to see it at Miami High, the legendary Miami High and see the families come here and enjoy this big victory tonight for them.”

Senior guard/forward Vamir Avin led North Miami Beach with 13 points and five rebounds in the loss. The 6-foot-4 Avin was able to use his athleticism and size to effectively score off the dribble. He was the only Charger to finish in double-figures. Avin came into the game averaging 12.3 points and five rebounds per night.

Leading scorer Simon Nielson finished with just four points. The 5-foot-9 point guard, who came into the night averaging 13.7 points per game, could not find his shot despite having multiple good looks. In particular, Nielson struggled from the perimeter. He came into the game shooting 51 percent from deep on 60 3-pointers made. Without his offense, the Chargers would slowly fall behind with each passing quarter.

Along with Middlebrooks and Ruiz, the Stingarees honored senior guards Edwim Mercado and Ajay Brown during pregame ceremonies. Miami High’s emotional prequel to the contest was rallied by its strong home crowd at the historic Asylum gymnasium.

“It was a lot of emotion with senior night and all that,” said Middlebrooks. We played as a team and kept our cool under pressure. We got the job done, which is getting the W. We just have to stick to the coaches gameplan (moving forward) and play as a team. That is the ultimate goal, and to be very unselfish.”