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Raiders Lose Out To Sailors

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BY JEFFREY JONES, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 2, 2008

RIVERVIEW - There will be no team from Hillsborough County emerging from the Class 6A-District 8 playoffs, as both Sarasota and Sarasota Riverview won semifinal games Friday night to advance to the title game.
Sarasota easily defeated Plant City 48-25 in the first game behind a physical defense that limited the Raiders to 10 first-half points.

Plant City didn't help its cause with poor free-throw shooting, going 4-for-20 from the line the entire game.

The Sailors were led by the freshman duo of Emilee Batcheler and Tyler Tracy, who had 18 and 14 points, respectively. Nakita Chadwick was also a thorn in the Raiders' side, grabbing 18 rebounds and five steals.

"Nakita is very aggressive," Sailors coach Amy Mazner said.

"She puts herself in position to make the play."

Although the Raiders were disappointed about not progressing deeper into the postseason, Coach Ginger Forte was happy how far her team has come this season.

"I'm really proud of them. They played hard tonight," Forte said. "Unfortunately, the shots just didn't fall tonight."

In the second semifinal, Sarasota Riverview used a 12-0 run in the first quarter to set the tempo for the rest of the game, eliminating Lakeland 55-41.

The Rams were dominant offensively behind senior Rachel Harrison, whose 29 points helped propel her squad. Harrison was also clutch at the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 13 shots.

Shannon Washington also added to the Rams' cause, amassing 16 points. She was perfect from the line (8-for-8).

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