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Ridgewood, Foe Share Similarities

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By BART O'CONNELL, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 19, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Ridgewood's practice on Monday wasn't anything special or secretive - box out when going for a rebound, avoid silly mistakes, re-emphasize the fundamentals.

Coach Gary Anders isn't looking to tinker with what's working so well, just fine-tuning what has won 14 consecutive games for the Rams. But there's another reason why it makes so much sense for Ridgewood to stay within itself.

When the Rams (24-3) step on their home court for tonight's Class 5A-Region 2 semifinal, they will be facing a team that looks, and plays, very much like they do. Brandon (21-4), winners of 10 in a row, is one of the few squads that can match up with Ridgewood's experience, size and scoring ability.

Rams 6-foot-8 forward Lukas Poderis, who is used to having his way inside, won't have to look down at his Brandon counterpart, Evan Ravenel, who also is 6-8 and averages a double-double each game. Ridgewood's other top forward, 6-6 Derrick Zio, will be working on the Eagles' 6-6 Marcus Morrison.

Although the Rams have a slight frontcourt size advantage thanks to other forwards Bryan Jones and Byronell Arline, Brandon is a little bigger in the backcourt, where 6-foot guards Blake Allen and Tarron Stewart will go against the Rams' 5-8 duo of Mike Lawrence and Alvin Satram. All four are averaging double figures in scoring.

Anders believes his squad has been through enough this year to not be surprised by anybody they face in the postseason.

"We hope it's not going to be a shock to see those kinds of athletes," he said. "We've done a lot to prepare for tournament time. We played Clearwater twice, went against some tough out-of-state teams in the Tampa Bay Classic, so we feel we're ready."

The similarities don't stop with heights. Ridgewood is 13-0 at home this year, while Brandon is 9-0 on the road. The two teams have faced three common opponents: Land O' Lakes, Wharton and Freedom. Ridgewood is 5-0 against those teams, out-scoring them by an average of 13.2 points per game. Brandon is 5-1 and had a 13.0 points per game edge on average.

Though the numbers seem so close, there is no drop in the confidence level for Anders and his squad going into the game. No added pressure is being put on top scorers Poderis and Lawrence because they're veterans, have been playing well and know what's expected of them.

For the entire squad, the latter stages of the playoffs and the temptation of looking ahead hasn't set in.

"This team has been very good about focusing on the task at hand," Anders said. "We all have high expectations, but we haven't discussed them."

The Rams lost in last year's regional semifinals to eventual state champion Lake Howell, a game Anders described as a "big hurdle" at the time. This year, it appears Ridgewood, No. 10 in the Class 5A state poll, is a hurdle opponents are trying to leap past.

"We don't look at it in terms of first round, second round," Anders said. "When you get to this point, all the games are tough."

Bart O'Connell can be reached at boconnell@pop.tampatrib.com.

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