TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Third quarter blitz Springstead continues mastery of Nature Coast, 65-55

ADVERTISEMENT

By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Published: December 7, 2007

SPRING HILL - Once again the fans packed both sides of the gym, the noise reached headache-inducing decibels and a rare electric atmosphere accompanied a basketball game in Hernando County.
Springstead High versus Nature Coast Technical has certainly become the hottest hoops rivalry in this county after last season, when the two squads finished 1-2 in Class 4A, District 8.

But thus far, the rivalry has remained one-sided. The Eagles captured all three match-ups last season, including an overtime triumph at Nature Coast and a buzzer-beating win in the 4A-8 title game.

Though the Sharks are the only team that owns a W over Springstead during its three-year run as Hernando County Athletic Conference champion, 59-57 at Nature Coast on Jan. 24, 2006 (a game that ended with the now infamous brawl between the two teams), they're 1-6 in this series during that span.

Make it 1-7, following a 65-55 Eagle victory Tuesday night at a raucous Springstead gym.

"We don't really think about any one team," said Springstead's first-year Head Coach Pat Kelly, a newcomer to the rivalry. "We're trying to develop a program; we're trying to get to where the total program is involved in the system.

"We just want people to know when they play Springstead; they're in for a tough game."

Keys come in threes

The Sharks (1-3 overall, 1-2 4A-8, 0-1 HCAC) actually came out on top in three quarters, but got outscored 20-7 in the pivotal third period - three becoming the key number.

Springstead (5-1 overall, 4-0 4A-8, 2-0 HCAC) knocked down three three-pointers in the period, including one by Andrew Echanique at the 6:55 mark, giving the Eagles a 31-29 lead they would never relinquish.

The Eagles were led by their three stars, Dante Valentine, Nehemiah Mason and Dominic Roberson, who came in averaging a combined 54.8 points per game and accounting for 74 percent of their team's offense.

Over the past several seasons Springstead had become a team that took advantage of its height up front, but personnel and coaching changes have forced the Eagles into an up-tempo attack.

Roberson, a 6-foot-1 junior who transferred in from Tampa-King High just in time to shine as a wide receiver on the Springstead football squad, came up big on both ends of the floor.

He tallied 14 points to go along with nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block. He twice recorded a steal and hit Mason (16 points) for a lay-up during a run that opened up a 43-32 lead.

"That's what we do all the time," Mason said. "We're used to doing that. We just get out and run."

"We got yelled at (during halftime)," Roberson said. "We focused on our defense. That's our main focus. If we play defense, our offense will get going."

Valentine, the team's leading scorer at 27.6 points per game coming in, finished up with 15 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and six steals.

"I think we worked hard. We out-worked them in the second half," Valentine said. "We stayed focused, got into the game and worked hard in the second half.

"...I wasn't here when they had the big brawl. I heard about everything. Me personally, it's just another game to me. But my teammates are really into it, so I try as hard as I can for them."

Sharks shine early
Nature Coast actually took a 27-25 advantage into the intermission thanks to Jake Meier's runner in traffic with just seconds left in the opening half.

The Sharks had to rally after the Eagles scored the first seven points of the game.

They would end up going ahead 10-7 on Joe Silvestri's trey from the corner in front of the Eagle bench with under a minute in the first quarter, and the two clubs continued to exchange leads from there.

"We just made an adjustment at halftime," Kelly said. "We came out with some energy and got after them. Then we started to play a little better together on offense. We made some assists, got into some sets."

The increased intensity showed in several Nature Coast turnovers, including 17 Springstead steals.

Compounding matters, the Sharks played without the services of point guard Bryant Pent. Head Coach David Pisarcik declined to disclose the reason for his absence, noting only that it was temporary.

"I think we played hard," said Pisarcik, an assistant coach under Travis Priddy the previous two seasons. "Tonight at the beginning, we didn't execute and we turned the ball over a lot.

"It's a credit to Springstead's defense. They have quick hands. They got deflections; they got steals. They definitely put a lot of pressure on us and we didn't handle the pressure well.

"...Not having your point guard is like not having a quarterback. It affected us all but he's not with the team right now."

Pent's replacement, Mike Fields, scored 13 points. Silvestri chipped in 12 points and eight assists. Reshad Terry had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

The teams will meet again at Nature Coast on Jan. 11, likely in front of another large crowd.

"The fans come out to see it," Pisarcik said. "The gym was as packed as it will be all year. It's a great atmosphere. You want to play in an atmosphere like this. It's a big game. We've got to handle the ball and compete."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT