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GIRLS BASKETBALL: Mitchell Back To Winning Ways

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By LEE DIEKEMPER

Tribune correspondent

Published: December 19, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - After jumping out to a 4-0 start to begin the season, it seemed the season collapsed on Mitchell, losing three straight, all three losses coming to district foes.

Mustangs coach Jacob Tavo lamented his team was not clicking; instead it was five girls playing as individuals. And it irritated him.

But Tavo seems to have Mitchell back on track. Thanks to some unselfish play by his team, and spectacular play by two sisters Latrel and Lashe Kirkland, the Mustangs suffocated Land O' Lakes early and played sound fundamentals the rest of the way for a 61-49 win at Mitchell on Thursday.

"We played as a team. That was the difference," Tavo said. "The games we've played together, we've won. Hopefully they can consistently play like this; play as a team. That's what it will take."

The Gators were held to two points in the first quarter and 16 for the first half. Though they battled back to make a game of it, the hole was too deep to climb out of.

It was the Kirkland sisters which the visiting Gators never had an answer for. Latrel and Lashe Kirkland scored 11 and 16 points respectively but that wasn't close to the whole story. The twins were all over the court: applying strong defense, feeding open teammates, blocking shots, disrupting passing lanes and generally creating havoc.

"You have to credit the twins. They are great basketball players," Land O' Lakes coach Laurie Pacholke said. "In the first half they almost [by themselves] took us down.

"We came out super, super flat. We couldn't buy a basket in that first quarter. We were getting shots but they were short. I can take a loss if we fight like dogs. We fought."

"It's really cool to know that," Latrel said of Pacholke's comments. "But we do work well together."

"It's cool to hear from another coach you're an elite player," Lashe said.

While Tavo admitted the Kirkland twins are special, he stopped short of flooding them with too much praise.

"It takes all five girls to get the job done. It's nice to have good players [like the Kirkland twins] but you need five to beat another team."

Land O' Lakes 2 14 15 18-49
Mitchell 16 18 14 13-61

L-Thurston 0 2-2 2, Pacholke 4 3-4 12, Keough 8 11-17 29, Sanchez 0 2-2 2, Garcia 1 0-0 2, Nichols 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 18-29 49.

M-O'Connor 0 2-2 2, O'Brien 2 2-2 6, Kosmalski 0 2-2 2, Smith 2 0-0 4, Latrel Kirkland 5 0-0 11, Lashe Kirkland 7 1-2 16, Corbitt 2 0-0 4, Lyons 1 0-0 2, Paselio 5 4-4 14. Totals 24 11-12 67.

Three-point baskets: L 3 (Keough 2, Pacholke); M 2 (Latrel Kirkland, Lashe Kirkland). Total fouls: L 12; M 17. Records: L 4-6; M 6-3.

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