In the aftermath of this week’s girls basketball district tournaments, two county teams remained alive, both celebrating unprecedented achievements within the history of their programs.
For the third time in four seasons, and the fourth time overall, Hernando Christian Academy has advanced to regionals. But this go-round brings a unique twist. On Thursday at First Academy-Leesburg, the Lady Lions collected their first district championship with a 41-28 triumph over Ocala-St. John Lutheran in the Class 2A, District 4 final.
“You coach for these moments,” HCA head coach Mike Drummond said. “We’ve had teams that have gotten to the championship game and went up against juggernaut teams. You’re kind of happy being runners-up. This year we have a special team. We knew from the get-go we were going to be pretty good. We knew we’d be able to compete.
“I told the girls, ‘We’ve worked too hard to come up here and lose this game. You never know when you’ll get a chance again.’” The Lady Lions (15-4) never trailed, and received a double-double from freshman Milly Jackson with 13 points and 15 rebounds to go with four assists and three steals. Lauren Zappone added 13 points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Cayla Phillips had 10 points, seven boards and two steals. Shyann McElwain chipped in 11 rebounds.
“It was a very aggressive, hard-fought basketball game,” said Drummond, whose team led just 19-15 at halftime. “Both teams rebounded well. It was a good battle inside. Definitely both teams had improved. I’ve told the team, ‘If we score 40 points, our defense is good enough to win games.’ That held true today.”
On Monday, top-seeded HCA defeated First Academy-Leesburg in a semifinal, 49-16. Zappone paced the team with 15 points, while Jackson totaled 13.
This Thursday, the Lady Lions will host Jacksonville-Eagle’s View in a regional quarterfinal starting at 7 p.m. The school is asking fans to participate in a “White Out Night” by wearing white.
“All I know is we get to host a regional game. It’s going to be huge,” Drummond said. “Right now we’re enjoying the win. We’ll get back to work on Monday and have some fun with it. That’s what it’s all about, enjoying the moment and see how far we can go.”
Also on Thursday, Springstead will be taking part in a regional contest for the first time ever. In their 40th season, the Lady Eagles have finally advanced beyond the district tournament.
In Wednesday’s 6A-8 semifinals at Sunlake, third-seeded Springstead trounced second-seeded Mitchell, 57-35. Alyssa Clifton totaled 16 points and 18 rebounds, while Reagan Huden scored 12 points. Things didn’t go nearly as well in Friday’s final, when the Lady Eagles lost to Sunlake, 69-36. Morgan Nelski led the team with 14 points, and Tierra Houston had nine points, eight rebounds and six steals.
“For me, I’m a perfectionist. I’m a little upset not winning the district,” Springstead head coach Jay McNerney said. “But it’s the first time in 40 years we’re able to go to a regional game.
“We accomplished a lot. I think this is the first step in turning the program around. I have four starters returning next year. I think we’ll be able to compete a long time now.”
The Lady Eagles (16-8) must travel to Seffner-Armwood for their regional quarterfinal, also at 7 p.m.
“I think we can win a couple games,” McNerney said. “We match up well with specific teams.”
In the 5A-7 Tournament that took place at Crystal River, none of the three county teams moved beyond the semifinals. Still, sixth-seeded Weeki Wachee capped its first winning season by pulling off a quarterfinal upset of third-seeded Crystal River on Tuesday, 35-34. Lauren Crespo led the Lady Hornets with 10 points. Lecanto bounced Weeki Wachee on Wednesday, 57-35. Seytia Hill posted 15 points and 17 rebounds for the Lady Hornets, who ended up 15-11.
“We’re still just learning. We played a good team. Lecanto, I think they could get to the Final Four,” Weeki Wachee head coach Michael Munro said. “I have four freshmen that are in the rotation and two of them are pretty heavy in the rotation. They’re just learning how to play the game.
“We came in (to the season) on a 50-game losing streak. These seniors, they never won a game. It’s all new to them. Third coach in three years. … We had to change the culture. I spent $6,300 on this team, buying practice jerseys, travel outfits, travel bags, basketballs and stuff. And I wanted to build a program.”
Nature Coast lost in Wednesday’s other semifinal against Citrus, 61-33. The Lady Sharks (12-13) had beaten Hernando on Tuesday, 50-23. The Lady Leopards finished 7-17. Central lost to Lecanto on Monday, 65-31.
In other postseason action, Nature Coast lost a 5A-Region II boys soccer quarterfinal at Sunlake on Friday night, 6-0. The game was delayed a day due to Thursday’s inclement weather.
The host Seahawks (25-1-2) scored four times within the first 19 minutes. Six minutes in, Corey Turba put in a goal, assisted by Tariq Michael. In the10th minute, Grant Presson added a score off an assist by Derek Walters.
At 24:05, Jon Romero headed in a corner kick from Sabi Restrepo, and Romero assisted on a goal by Michael with 21:07 showing on the clock. That 4-0 lead held until Michael notched his second score five minutes into the second half, with Restrepo tallying his second assist. Corbin Anderson finished off the scoring with a goal off a rebound from a free kick by Danny Hrenko that hit the crossbar, with 1:45 left to play.
For the Sharks (16-6-1), keeper David Pye recorded 13 saves. Hrenko saved five shots for Sunlake.
“They brought a much higher intensity than they brought the first game (a 2-1 Seahawks win two weeks earlier),” Nature Coast head coach Ian Wald said. “They were ready to play for regionals. We came out trying to match their intensity and just got on the wrong side of things early. Really held it down from that point on, but it was too little, too late.
“Every record that there was, this team has recreated. We won the county tournament, we won the county table, took second in the district table, took second in the district tournament. It was the most successful season we’ve ever had with the exception of the team not being district champs. Everything else was perfect.”
In boys basketball, Nature Coast (19-6) wrapped up the regular season with wins over Academy at the Lakes on Wednesday (64-48) and Gulf on Friday (88-66).
Follow Chris Bernhardt Jr. on Twitter @cpbernhardtjr.