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Lady Bulls Stampede Springstead, 54-25

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: February 3, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - It took roughly a minute for Tuesday night's Class 4A, District 8 quarterfinal between Wiregrass Ranch and Springstead to get out of hand.

At the 6:47 mark of the eight-minute opening quarter, the top-seeded Lady Bulls already had four steals (three by Julie Gould) and eight points (six by Kelly McCaffrey).

The Lady Eagles, seeded eighth in the nine-team tournament at Nature Coast Technical and coming off Monday's 45-36 win over ninth-seeded Sunlake, called timeout, but could never stem the tide in a 54-25 season-ending defeat.

"After playing last night, we were still a little tired," Springstead Head Coach Todd Toomer said. "Then to come in and compete against the top seed, Wiregrass can take any mistakes you make and turn it into points."

Wiregrass Ranch (21-4) did just that, early and often. The Lady Bulls recorded 13 of their 25 steals in the opening period that they finished leading 22-3.

Springstead (7-16) didn't record a point until Cat Morrison's free throw with 2:45 to play in the quarter. The team's first field goal came on a fast-break layup from Caitlin Hughes to Jazmyn Armstrong at 1:19.

"Certain squads you can put some pressure on," Wiregrass Ranch Head Coach Greg Finkel said. "We figured we could put a little pressure on Springstead and that's what we attempted to do."

The Lady Bulls led 34-10 at the half and initiated a running clock at 4:42 in the third quarter on a layup by Jasmine Reid-Chacon, making it a 35-point advantage at 46-11.

Finkel immediately pulled his starters, who also didn't play in the entire second quarter. McCaffrey led the team with 14 points to go along with four steals, while Gould posted 10 points, six steals and three assists.

Reid-Chacon added 10 points off the bench, and leading scorer Regan Knapik returned after missing the past three weeks with a high ankle sprain. She played sparingly, totaling four points.

Wiregrass Ranch won't play again until Friday, against the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between Hernando and Pasco.

"I know that they're prepared," Finkel said of his team. "Bottom line, we didn't want them coming out flat. When you're in a playoff, everybody comes to play twice as hard and we've got to be prepared."

On the Springstead side, Toomer praised his team's effort, particularly in the second half. Armstrong paced the Lady Eagles with 10 points and 16 rebounds.

"It's sad to see the seniors go," Toomer said. "That's one of the toughest parts as a coach. But they played their hearts out last night and tonight. That's all a coach can ask."

WIREGRASS RANCH 54, SPRINGSTEAD 25
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
Springstead 3 7 9 6 — 25
Wiregrass Ranch 22 12 14 6 — 54
Springstead (25): Je. White 4 0-1 8, Morrison 0 2-4 2, Armstrong 4 2-6 10, Brinker 1 0-0 3, Hughes 0 2-2 2, Pisano 0, Shelmet 0. Totals 9 6-13 25.
Wiregrass Ranch (54): Wash 1 0-1 2, McCaffrey 7 0-0 14, DeLoach 0 0-2 0, J. Gould 5 0-0 10, Knapik 2 0-0 4, Reid-Chacon 5 0-0 10, Bowman 2 1-3 6, L. Gould 2 1-4 5, Duran 1 1-1 3, Ballish 0, Kluender 0, White 0, Stipes 0, Simpson 0. Totals 25 3-11 54.
Three-point field goals: SPG 1 (Brinker); WGR 1 (Bowman).
Total fouls: SPG 10; WGR 13.
Technical fouls: none.
Fouled out: none.
Records: Springstead (7-16), Wiregrass Ranch (21-4).

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at (352) 544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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