Tampa Catholic wins state girls basketball title

Thirteen seconds separated Tampa Catholic from its first girls basketball state title. It felt like 13 hours for the players on the court.

Clinging to a one-point lead in the Class 3A state championship game, the Crusaders camped out under Orlando Bishop Moore's basket as junior Lindsay Silva drove and took three shots from underneath. Each one bounced off the rim.

And then the whistle sounded.

"I thought it was a foul, and I was about to cry, " said senior co-captain Colette Eule, who hit a pair of free throws with 2:09 remaining to give the Crusaders a one-point lead. "When the ball was under the basket, I kept seeing (her) letting go of the ball and shooting. Every time, my heart dropped."

It wasn't until Eule saw her teammates rushing from the bench onto the court in celebration that she realized the whistle was to signal that the game was over. Tampa Catholic had staged a dramatic come-from-behind 43-42 victory against Bishop Moore to claim the school's first girls basketball state championship.

The Crusaders became the first Hillsborough County team in 14 years - and the fourth overall - to win a girls title. The last county team to win it all was Academy of the Holy Names in 1996. Kroll served as assistant on the team, which was coached her former husband, the late Craig Keeler.

The Hornets slowed down Tampa Catholic's high-scoring offense - used to averaging 65 points a game - which led to unusually low shooting percentages. Overall, the Crusaders were 15-of-52 and Bishop Moore was 15-of-51.

Shooting just 5-of-22 in the first half, Tampa Catholic trailed 18-15, only the third time this season they scored 20 points or fewer in the first half.

"I was a little nervous at halftime. I tried not to show it to the kids," Kroll said. "I started screaming a little bit. We shot the ball enough, they just weren't dropping. I just told them to keep playing their game. (But) we were a little rattled."

Tampa Catholic seemed to settle down in the third quarter. The Crusaders scored three straight baskets, including four of senior co-captain Sarah Brennan's 14 points, off Bishop Moore turnovers. Eule capped a 13-4 run with a 3-point play to give the Crusaders a six-point lead, their largest of the game.

But Bishop Moore responded with a 9-0 run to close out the third and take a two-point lead into the final quarter.

"It was a game of runs," Eule said. "It was back and forth. We would go on a run and then they would go on a run."

The Hornets held a four-point lead with a little more than five minutes left when Eule, who led TC with 18 points, was fouled. Her two free throws cut the lead to two and her jumper seconds later tied it midway through the fourth.

Bishop Moore went up by one on two free throws, setting the stage for Eule's free throws that put the Crusaders up for good.

"We were the best today," Kroll said, "and it's a great feeling."

By the numbers

3
Missed shots attempted by Orlando Bishop Moore junior Lindsay Silva underneath the basket as time expired

7
Free throws by senior Colette Eule, with her last one giving the Crusaders the lead for good with 2:09 remaining

100
Victories for senior co-captains Sarah Brennan and Eule during their four years at Tampa Catholic