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Eagles Pillage Pirates, 88-12

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: November 25, 2008

SPRING HILL - In reality, Pasco lost any chance of competing in Tuesday's season-opener at district-rival Springstead High by winning on the football field.
The Pirates are normally at or near the top of the district, claiming the Class 4A, District 8 championship last season.
But thanks to the success of the school's football team, which will play Gulf High in a regional semifinal Friday night, Pasco essentially had to send out its junior varsity squad.
While the Pirates had just one player available who figures to play a key role this season, the host Eagles had their full personnel, including the majority of last season's 22-5 team.
The result: an impressively overwhelming victory for Springstead by a stunning 76-point margin, 88-12.
"You'd like to see a more hard-fought game for the season-opener," said guard Dante Valentine, who posted a game-high 22 points. "But it is what it is. We'll see them later in the season."
Putting on a show
Valentine, one of three seniors in the staring lineup, picked apart the Pasco backcourt early on. He scored 14 points and had seven steals in the opening quarter.
About the only thing he couldn't do was dunk, failing to throw it down on two fast-break attempts. He did, however, toss two crowd-pleasing alley-oops to Isaiah Mason.
"We've got a new piece to the puzzle," Valentine said of Mason. "Look out for him. He's coming."
The 6-foot-5 Mason, a senior, missed most of last season because of ineligibility. He tallied 11 of his 14 points in the first period.
The Eagles led 33-4 after the first quarter, then played nothing but reserves in the second and outscored Pasco 30-1, taking a 63-5 advantage into halftime on James Mahla's three-pointer at the horn.
By rule, any lead of 35 or greater in the second half initiates a running clock, so the final two periods went by swiftly.
The Pirates hit just four shots from the field and had only one assist, while Springstead posted 32 steals. Valentine had eight of those swipes; Nick Steadman and Sal Latimer each had five.
"It's so frustrating, I can't put it into words," said Pasco Head Coach Derek Heard, making his debut on the Pirate bench. "I was looking up at that scoreboard and wishing I had the guys to compete."
Heard admitted that the players he put on the court aren't ready to contribute at the level they are being asked. Until he gets his regulars back in the mix, he simply has no choice.
Conversely the Eagles got 15 players into the game, with the sophomore Latimer scoring 10 points to pace a 39-point effort by the bench.
Roberson, an All-County forward as a junior last season, added seven points, seven rebounds, four steals, two assists and a blocked shot.
These two teams will meet again in Dade City on Jan. 8, and the Eagles figure to see a much different Pirate unit
"I told (Heard) I know they'll be ready when we go over to play at Pasco," Springstead Head Coach Pat Kelly said. "That'll be a good game. We're looking forward to playing that; the more competitive, the better.
"…I think our whole team is getting better. We're making them accountable for their responsibilities. We've got some things we've got to polish up but our whole group played well."

SPRINGSTEAD 88, PASCO 12
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
Pasco 4 1 2 5 — 12
Springstead 33 30 16 9 — 88
Pasco (12): Simmons 0 1-2 1, Adams 1 0-0 2, Vickers 1 0-0 2, Fink 0, Howard 0, Rivera 1 2-4 5, Siller 1 0-0 2, West 0, Smith 0. Totals 4 3-6 12.
Springstead (88): Roberson 3 1-4 7, O'Neil 2 0-1 4, Mason 5 4-7 14, Valentine 9 2-3 22, Steadman 1 0-0 2, Latimer 5 0-0 10, Wild 3 0-0 7, Noury 2 2-2 6, Inniss 2 1-3 5, Sabaski 2 0-1 4, Torres 2 0-2 4, Mahla 1 0-0 3, Haslam 0, Maragh 0, Taylor 0. Totals 37 10-23 88.
Three-point field goals: PAS 1 (Rivera); SPG 4 (Valentine 2, Mahla, Wild).
Total fouls: PAS 21; SPG 7.
Technical fouls: Mason (SPG).
Fouled out: none.
Records: Pasco (0-1 overall, 0-1 4A-8), Springstead (1-0 overall, 1-0 4A-8)

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

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