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Hernando Today

Surprising Stomping

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Published: January 20, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - To the uninitiated, it would seem quite obvious which team came into Tuesday night atop the standings in Class 1A, District 6.

Watching the defending district champion, Ocala-St. John Lutheran, steamroll host Hernando Christian Academy at the Lions' Den, 63-27, should have provided all the evidence required.

Except that assumption would be incorrect. The Lady Lions (11-5), in fact, sported had a spotless 7-0 mark in 1A-6 play, including a 55-52 triumph over the Lady Saints (14-4 overall, 10-1 1A-6) in Ocala on Dec. 7.

So after getting thoroughly dominated on its home floor, one question stood out for HCA. What happened?

"We didn't have Cassi (Byrne, out for the season with a concussion) and we didn't have Danielle (Kuka, out with a torn meniscus)," HCA Head Coach Jim Bragg said. "But the girls I had on the floor know how to play. We played better ball, a lot less turnovers in the first game."

Reversed role

For most of the season, the Lady Lions have found themselves on the other end of such blowouts. Five of their district triumphs are by at least 35 points - a deficit that triggers a running clock.

Aside from HCA's earlier win over St. John, its next closest district game came at Seven Rivers Christian on Nov. 27. The Lady Lions won that one by a comfortable score of 55-40.

Yet they never had anything going in this one, as the Lady Saints used a harassing press and athletic frontline to dominate from start to finish.

"We were healthy. We had some injuries last time," said St. John assistant coach Greg Ergle, filling in for Head Coach Kim Pompey, who was ill. "Tonight we came out and played hard for four full quarters.

"We're trying to get ready for districts. To come out and play as hard as we did sets us up for the district tournament."

St. John built a 15-9 lead after the first quarter, going up by nine twice in the period, behind a combined nine steals and five rebounds apiece from Alexis Samuel and Ashley Hampton.

The Lady Saints went ahead by 20, 29-9, when Samuel rebounded a missed free throw by Hampton and put it back at 4:17 left in the half.

HCA didn't record a point in the second quarter until Madeline Hanshaw's short jumper off a pass from older sister Meredith Hanshaw with just less than three minutes before the intermission.

The halftime score read 36-13, and grew to 55-22 after three quarters. The running clock began with 7:43 still to go in the fourth, thanks to a pair of free throws by Anne Shaffer making it 57-22.

Amy Ergle led all scorers with 18 points. Samuel and Hampton each had 17, with Samuel also corralling 14 rebounds and Hampton eight along with 11 steals. Samuel added eight steals.

Mary Ellen Langley and Madeline Hanshaw both paced HCA with eight points. Hanshaw chipped in seven rebounds.

"I think with their coach being sick, they had a goal in mind when they got here," Bragg said. "Our press is not the same without (Byrne and Kuka).

"I'm not giving up on the girls. They can play with this team. I think we'll be ready by districts. They're a good team, but we beat them the first game. We know it can be done, we've just got to get it close."

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

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