TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Torched Early, Often

ADVERTISEMENT

By MARTY MILLER

Hernando Today correspondent

Published: February 18, 2008

LAKE MARY - Class 1A, Region II's girls basketball quarterfinal between Hernando Christian Academy Lions and Lake Mary Prep marked the first time in school history that the Lady Lions had made it past the district level.

Unfortunately for visiting HCA, its first time playing at the regional level was almost over before it began as Lake Mary Prep started the game with a 19-0 run as it cruised to an easy 65-30 win.

Because of the margin of the loss, HCA's fourth-year Head Coach Jim Bragg was asked if people might get the impression his team was not very good.

"We're not that bad," remarked Bragg. "We just didn't show up to play tonight. Without (Cassi) Bryne and (Danielle) Kuka, it made a big difference because I can't press without those two."

Over early

The game for all practical purposes was over in the opening eight minutes of the game as Lake Mary Prep, whose record now stands at 19-9, scored the first 19 points of the game and led 32-4 after eight minutes.

The game also used a running clock the entire second half as the Griffins led 63-16 after three quarters.

The Griffins were led by Toni Pratsch and Sam Moore. Pratsch led LMP with 25 points, 15 of them coming in the first quarter, while Moore ended the game with 11 points and 17 rebounds.

"We couldn't hit a basket," lamented Bragg. "They kept beating us down the floor and I think the two-hour ride might have gotten to us. But we've always been a better second-half team.

"These girls played hard but I don't think we've reached this level yet," added Bragg. "But I think next year will be different, I think we'll be back."

Omen early?

The game started off poorly for HCA as Pratsch connected on her first two three-point field goal attempts and turned a steal into a lay-up with just 1:26 gone in the first quarter.

It only got worse after that as LMP led 48-8 at the intermission with the Lions making 4-of-22 field goal attempts (18%) while Lake Mary Prep was 29-of-37 from the field.

Besides Pratsch and Moore, Chelsea Mincey scored 12 points for Lake Mary Prep while Heidi Riley led HCA with eight points. Audrey Allen and Mary Ellen Langley both had five points on the night.

HCA ended its season with a 15-8 record after making the region playoffs for the first time in school history.

After the game, Coach Bragg talked about the players he was graduating and those he had coming back next year.

"This year, almost all of my players are also softball players, but next year we'll have more that just play basketball.

"I lose four seniors and they have all been great kids," Bragg said. "We're losing Kuka and Byrne, and they missed half the year with injuries, and then I'm also losing Mary Ellen Langley and Meredith Hanshaw. They are great kids and it's going to be tough for me at the awards banquet because I've got a lot of love for them."

Kuka, who missed most of last year with an ACL tear of the right knee, tore her metatarsus on the same knee this season.

"The doctor told me that if I wanted to walk in the near future, not to run on it. So I miss both basketball and softball," Kuka said.

The senior, who is going to college in Tampa to become a physical therapist, said she felt bad about her team's loss Thursday.

"It feels awful," admitted Kuka. "It kind of breaks my heart because we really are better than that."

For Langley and Hanshaw, who both played basketball for four years at HCA, the game was sort of a beginning. "Coach told us when he first got here he wanted to build a house and put a roof on the program," Hanshaw said. "We didn't win and the season's over, but we did good."

"We had more wins than we've ever had before and we made it past the districts," said Langley, who recently signed a scholarship to play softball at Pasco-Hernando Community College.

But maybe things were best summed up by senior Kim Armstrong when asked how she felt after the loss, "It's sad, but we did our best."

Lake Mary Prep 67, Hernando Christian Academy 30
HCA  4    4   8 14 -- 30
LMP 32 16 15   4 -- 67
Hernando Christian Academy (30) Riley 4 0-0 8, Flowers 1 1-1 3, Allen 2 1-2 5, Langley 2 0-0 5, Meredith Hanshaw 2 0-0 4, Manuel 1 1-2 3, Madeline Hanshaw 1 0-0 2, Armstrong 0. Totals 13 3-5 30.
Lake Mary Perp (67) Sam Moore 4 3-6 11, Krim 1 1-2 4, Pratsch 9 4-5 25, Sydney Moore 3 0-1 6, Collins 4 1-1 9, Mincy 6 0-0 12. Totals 27 9-15 67.
Three-point field goals - Langley (HCA); Pratsch 3,
Krim (LMP).
Team fouls- HCA 11; LMP 7.
Fouled out - None.
Technical fouls - None.
Records, Hernando Christian Academy (15-8), Lake Mary Prep (19-9).

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT