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Hernando Today

Valentine's Day Comes Early

4A-8 BOYS BASKETBALL

Photo by JOE DiCRISTOFALO

Springstead High's Dante Valentine shots a free throw during Friday night's 4A-8 semifinal versus Sunlake.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: February 13, 2009

LAND O’ LAKES - Strange things are supposed to happen on Friday the 13th. Something as strange as, say, a 25-0 team stumbling in a district tournament semifinal.

Not quite. Instead unbeaten Springstead High simply skipped a day in the calendar and went straight to the 14th – as in Valentine's Day.

Though technically it was a night early for the holiday, Eagle guard Dante Valentine put on a show all the same in Friday's Class 4A, District 8 semifinal versus tournament host Land O' Lakes-Sunlake.

The senior scored 29 points as Springstead cruised to a 61-33 victory. The win put the top-seeded Eagles, who got upset in last year's semifinals by Hudson, in Saturday's final against the second-seeded Cobras.

It also ensured that Springstead (26-0) would return to regionals for the third time in four years after missing out in 2008.

"We've accomplished one of our goals," Springstead Head Coach Pat Kelly said. "But the big one is tomorrow.

"Their (Sunlake's) style of play, if you let them do what they want all night long, they'll milk the possession, move the ball, play very disciplined. We tried to take them out of what they do."

Mission accomplished on that front. At the 6:10 mark of the first quarter, Sunlake Head Coach Bob Marinak called his second timeout, one less than the amount of steals by the Eagles and baskets by Valentine as Springstead held an 8-0 advantage.

Valentine had 15 points in the opening period and 21 for the half, along with four steals. He and backcourt mate Nick Steadman simply smothered Sunlake (9-17) and Domnique Roberson had six of the Eagles' 15 steals by intermission.

Perhaps the quintessential moment of the game came in the second quarter when the Seahawks had a 4-on-1 fast break, yet managed to pass the ball right into Roberson.

That resulted in Valentine receiving the ball under the basket at the other end and shoveling it to Isaiah Mason for a dunk and 30-12 lead.

"We just had fire in us tonight," Valentine said. "This district and the Hudson rematch, it couldn't be set up any better. We came out with fire because this is what we play for."

Mason, the team's leading scorer on the season, had a relatively quiet night with 12 points. Roberson had just four points but eight steals, seven rebounds and two blocks.

SPRINGSTEAD 61, SUNLAKE 33
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
Sunlake 10 4 15 4 — 33
Springstead 21 19 15 6 — 61
Sunlake (33): Escobar 2 0-0 5, Williams 4 0-0 8, Hisamoto 1 0-0 2, Dionisio 0, Simpson 0, Warren 5 2-6 14, Lawrence 1 0-2 2, Winguard 1 0-2 2, Banks 0, Senoga-Zake 0, Chapman 0, Crews-Hill 0, Pabon 0. Totals 14 2-10 33.
Springstead (61): Roberson 2 0-0 4, O'Neil 0 4-6 4, Mason 5 1-4 12, Valentine 11 5-7 29, Steadman 2 0-0 4, Wild 1 4-4 6, Maragh 1 0-0 2, Sabaski 0, Latimer 0, Noury 0, Floyd 0, Inniss 0. Totals 22 14-21 61.
Three-point field goals: SL 3 (Warren 2, Escobar); SPG 3 (Valentine 2, Mason).
Total fouls: SL 18; SPG 12.
Technical fouls: Warren (SL).
Fouled out: Hisamoto (SL).
Records: Sunlake (9-17), Springstead (26-0).

CLASS 4A, DISTRICT 8 TOURNAMENT
at Sunlake High

02-09
Hernando 65, Pasco 64

02-10
Sunlake 56, Nature Coast 46
Springstead 83, Hernando 48

02-11
Zephyrhills 51, Wiregrass Ranch 47
Hudson 58, Gulf 46

02-13
Hudson 66, Zephyrhills 62
Springstead 61, Sunlake 33

02-14
(Championship)
Springstead vs. Hudson, 7 p.m.

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

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