TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Seffner Christian Falls Short In Final

ADVERTISEMENT

By GREGG BECNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 17, 2008

SEFFNER - Seffner Christian went toe-to-toe with Sarasota Christian and even had the ninth-ranked Blazers on the ropes before losing 54-47 in the Class 1A-Region 3 girls basketball final Saturday.

"I told the girls before the game they had to believe they earned their way to this game," Seffner Christian coach Greg Fawbush said. "And they played hard and gave everything they had the whole game. This was a fun experience. The girls really showed our team is for real."

The game featured several runs from each team, which resulted in six lead changes.

The Crusaders (15-11) found themselves down 31-21 early in the third quarter before using a 10-0 run to even things up.

"We knew they'd come back," Sarasota Christian coach Janelle Hochstetler said.

The Blazers (24-5) scored the next five points to go up 36-31, but Seffner Christian again fought back. This time, the Crusaders bridged the third and fourth quarters with a 10-2 run to go up 41-38.

The Crusaders' two big runs came with a price, however.

"The problem was, the girls fought so hard to come back that it took a lot out of them," Fawbush said. "Every time we made a run, we'd follow it with turnovers. That was the key."

Sarasota Christian regained the lead, 42-41, at the 5:59 mark of the fourth and never trailed again, going on a 16-6 run to close the game.

Sophomore Arielle Jadlowski led the Crusaders with a game-high 18 points.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT