Each week, our HomeTeam staffers will nominate male and female Hot Shot athletes from each of the counties we cover, then we turn the voting over to our readers. These nominations span Saturday, Dec. 7 through Friday, Dec. 13. The winners get a free T-shirt and bragging rights over every other school in the area. Read up on all of our nominees, then vote until noon Monday.
Female nominees
Brielle Downing, Bishop McLaughlin basketball: The sophomore had a game-high 20 points — as well as seven steals, five rebounds, two assists and a block — in the Hurricanes’ 37-21 district win over Carrollwood Day.
Taylor Emery, Freedom basketball: The junior guard had a career-high 41 points in the Patriots’ 70-59 win against Tampa Bay Tech on Wednesday. The Titans went into halftime of that game ahead by seven, but Emery’s dominance helped Freedom come from behind to win.
Samantha Epifanio, Land O’Lakes soccer: It looked like the unbeaten Gators’ matchup against city rival Sunlake would end in a scoreless tie. Then Epifanio landed a corner kick, sealing the win. The freshman has 11 goals on the season.
Leah Rapuano, Seminole soccer: In wins against Northeast and Countryside, Rapuano scored a combined four goals. The Warhawks are 17-2-1 with both losses coming in tournaments.
Abby Sanchez, Plant soccer: The senior forward had three goals and an two assists against Alonso, and a goal and four assists against King for the 8-3-2 Panthers.
Meagan Thomas, Dixie Hollins basketball: The senior scored 37 points in a win over Springstead on Monday, then added 27 points in a win over Osceola on Thursday. Thomas is 31 points shy of breaking the 2,000-point barrier in her career.
Male nominees
Barry Brown, Gibbs basketball: In wins against neighboring rivals Boca Ciega and Lakewood, Brown scored a combined 39 points. Against the Spartans, Brown hit a pair of free throws that sealed a 55-53 victory and gave the Gladiators the inside track to the top seed in 5A-8.
Bernie Conley, Mitchell basketball: The four-year starter scored a season-high 24 points against Gulf to help his team to an 83-66 win, keeping the Mustangs unbeaten. Conley averages 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Anton Crutcher, East Bay basketball: The senior forward had one of the best games of his career — 28 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks — in a 64-56 win over previously unbeaten Lennard.
Juwan Durham, Tampa Prep basketball: The sophomore center had a game-high 21 points and blocked five shots in the Terrapins’ 57-49 win against Brooks DeBartolo. He followed that with 27 points and 10 rebounds against Seffner Christian on Thursday.
Brady Grimm, Shorecrest basketball: Against Calvary Christian, Grimm scored a team-high 28 points to lead the Chargers to a 73-49 win in a battle of unbeatens. Grimm is averaging 26 points per game and scored a school-record 39 against Academy at the Lakes earlier this season.
Ethan Haslam, Academy at the Lakes basketball: The 6-foot-3 junior came within one point of matching the rest of his team’s combined scoring in a 76-73 overtime loss to rival Cambridge Christian. He finished with 36 points.