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Hernando Today

HHS Downs Wiregrass Ranch, 51-37

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: February 4, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL – The last time the Hernando High Lady Leopards reached regionals, they advanced all the way to the regional final.
That happened six years ago, behind current Washington Mystic Bernice Mosby. Over the ensuing five seasons, Hernando managed just one district tournament win back in 2004.
Enjoying their first winning season since Mosby graduated; the Lady Leopards put themselves in position to finally return to regionals with a Class 4A, District 8 Tournament quarterfinal victory Wednesday night.
Third-seeded Hernando defeated six seed and tournament host Wesley Chapel-Wiregrass Ranch High in a closer than expected contest, 51-37.
"We came in this year not wanting to have a repeat of last year and the years before that," sophomore forward Jasmire Brown said. "We started slacking kind of. It was basically like a balance beam. We were up; they were up. But we had to put our all into it."
Though Hernando (17-6) ended up winning by double figures, the final score hardly told the true story of this game.
Wiregrass Ranch (10-15) had dropped both regular-season meetings with the Lady Leopards, 59-51 on Dec. 6 and 61-33 on Jan. 15. However, the second-year Lady Bulls showed considerable fight.
Twice in the second quarter Hernando mounted a 10-point advantage, but Julianna Gould's lay-up late in the half pulled Wiregrass Ranch within three, 22-19, at the intermission.
The Lady Leopards tallied the first six points of the second half, Brown knocking down a long jumper and Jordan Platt adding two baskets, to make it 28-19.
Then the Lady Bulls put together a 12-2 run to briefly pull ahead by one. Jasmine Chacon had back-to-back buckets, a jumper and a lay-up at the 2:33 mark to make it 31-30.
The score was knotted at 32 heading into the third quarter. Platt and Gould quickly exchanged offensive putbacks, before Brown's jumper on an out-of-bounds play gave Hernando a 36-34 edge at 6:53.
"We just had to talk to each other, tell each other that we all have to pull it out because we all wanted it so bad that we had to pull it out," Brown said. "So we just worked together, make sure we knew where they wanted the pass at so that's where we gave it to them. We just played smarter than all the other quarters."
Wiregrass Ranch went ice cold the rest of the way, getting out-scored 19-5 in the period.
"Missed lay-ups," Wiregrass Ranch Head Coach Greg Finkel said. "That was it. Quite honestly we were there, up by one and we kind of fell apart a little bit. We had so many opportunities. I'm going to chalk it up to youth. In the future we finish these shots.
"…The difference (from the regular season meetings) is that we had a game plan and when we went in with that game plan the girls actually took to it, held to it, stuck to it and we were in that game all the way through. Again, just missed opportunities at the end."
Chacon led the Lady Bulls with 13 points and three steals. Gould added nine points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Regan Knapik added eight rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals, plus a three-pointer in the fourth quarter that kept her team alive.
Brown garnered game-highs of 18 points, 15 rebounds, six steals and four assists. Senior April Griffey struggled with foul trouble yet still chipped in 12 points and 11 boards.
Platt had eight points and five rebounds, while Woods contributed six points and 11 rebounds off the bench, as the Lady Leopards continue to dominate on the frontline.
"We were kind of expecting to come and win this one," first-year Hernando Head Coach JoSandra Maner said. "But we just had so many unforced turnovers; we made the win harder than it had to be.
"…I just pretty much told them (in the fourth quarter) that 'we need to run our plays. I don't why we're running up and down the court.' You've got to play with some type of strategy."
Hernando advanced to a semifinal versus second-seeded Gulf High on Friday. Those two teams split two games in the regular season decided by a combined seven points.
"I just think if we come out and play our game, Gulf is going to be some competition but I think we can beat them," Maner said. "We got to play a lot better game than we played tonight but I guess it all depends on the team that you play.
"A lot of times you play to the level of your competitor, so with Gulf being a better team hopefully we'll play a better game."
 
HERNANDO 51, WIREGRASS RANCH 37
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
Wiregrass Ranch 4 15 13 5 — 37
Hernando 9 13 10 19 — 51
Wesley Chapel-Wiregrass Ranch (37): Chacon 6 1-2 13, Knapik 1 1-2 4, Ballish 0 2-2 2, Duran 1 0-0 2, J. Gould 4 1-2 9, L. Gould 1 1-2 3, Deloach 1 0-0 2, Kluender 1 0-0 2, Donohue 0, Ibison 0. Totals 15 6-10 37.
Hernando (51): Brown 8 1-1 18, Griffey 5 2-2 12, Platt 4 0-0 8, Ledington 1 2-2 4, Jenkins 0 3-8 3, Woods 1 4-9 6, DeRamus 0, Geiger 0, Haimes 0. Totals 19 12-22 51.
Three-point field goals: WGR 1 (Knapik); HER 1 (Brown).
Total fouls: WGR 18; HER 12.
Technical fouls: none.
Fouled out: J. Gould (WGR).
Records: Wesley Chapel-Wiregrass Ranch (10-15), Hernando (17-6).

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

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