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How Far Can Eagles Soar?

4A-II BOYS BASKETBALL

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: February 19, 2009

A win tonight would assure Springstead High the finest hoops season in its 34-year history, by any measure.

The Eagles go into the 7 p.m. Class 4A, Region II quarterfinal against Kissimmee-Poinciana High off not only a District 8 championship, but at 27-0 and as the ninth-ranked team in the state.

First off, Springstead could match the school record for victories set by the 28-3 1988-89 team. More important, the Eagles could accomplish something done only by the 1999-2000 squad: win a regional playoff game.

That club defeated Citra-North Marion, 45-41, before getting beat soundly by Lake Wales in the following round, 75-31. That season also marked the last in Greg O'Connell's 23-year tenure as head coach.

Quite simply, while Springstead has achieved a measure of success locally over the past three decades, both under O'Connell and more recently (three district championships in the past four years and five straight county titles), it has never translated to the state level.

Yet with an unbeaten, ranked team, everything points to the strong possibility these Eagles can soar well beyond the heights of their 33 predecessors.

Not looking ahead

Just don't expect Head Coach Pat Kelly to get wrapped up in such expectations. As he has all season, his second on the Springstead sideline, he took great pains to keep the focus on the task at hand.

"We're looking forward to playing Poinciana," Kelly said. "We're preparing for that game. We're trying to get a game plan in place, work on our offensive sets, rebounding, the transition part of the game. We're not thinking about anything but our next opponent."

In spite of their spotless record, the common believe in the area is the Eagles have benefitted from a schedule that has left them largely unchallenged.

Aside from 4A-8 runner-up Hudson, Springstead has only played two other playoff teams, 5A-7 runner-up Land O' Lakes and Indian Rocks Christian, the 2A-9 runner-up.

Though the Eagles hammered Indian Rocks Christian in a holiday tournament, 47-27, they had their closest win of the season against Land O' Lakes, 69-63.

Kelly said he would let the results determine whether the 4A-8 terrain provided a sturdy enough test.

"I've always said our league is very competitive," Kelly said. "I felt like playing in our league would prepare us for what we need to do."

On the paper things are lining up right for Springstead. First of all, its guaranteed home court advantage for at least the first two rounds and possibly all three.

Eustis, the team that won the region two of the past three years, didn't even get out of its district. Neither did Bishop Moore, which dropped the Eagles in the first round of regionals in 2006 and 2007.

Instead, 4A-7 produced South Lake, a team that has never won a regional game, and Poinciana, a program advancing to regionals for the first time.

South Lake, the 4A-7 champ, will host Hudson in another quarterfinal tonight, with the winner playing either Springstead or Poinciana in next Tuesday's semifinal round.

Up north, Lecanto, which went 28-0 last season before falling to St. Augustine in the regional semifinals, has slipped to the runner-up spot in 4A-6 and will travel to St. Augustine.

Though St. Augustine won the 4A-5 title, this year's club isn't considered as strong as the one that lost to Eustis in the 2008 regional final.

Ocala-West Port, the 4A-6 champ, hosts 4A-5 runner-up Ponte Vedra-Nease in the region's other quarterfinal. West Port hasn't made it this far since 2005; Nease since 2004.

So with the region's recent powers either out of the mix or not playing at as high a level, the road to the Florida High School Athletic Association Finals in Lakeland doesn't seem so daunting.

"I'd say there isn't any clear-cut, dominant squad," Lecanto Head Coach Chris Nichols said.

Nichols, whose Panthers split with West Port during the regular season, believes the Wolf Pack has the ability to go far, noting their size and athleticism.

Also Nichols, along with Poinciana Head Coach Jay Lunce, pointed to the athleticism of South Lake, who Lecanto played in the preseason.

In other words, if Springstead can continue to advance, it will likely face someone that can match its quickness and athleticism.

What about Poinciana?

Not that the Eagles won't face a challenge in Poinciana, also called the Eagles. At 16-9, Lunce finally has a playoff team in his eighth year.

"The kids play hard," Lunce said. "They've been dedicated to the program. They're really coachable kids. They make things a lot easier for us as a coaching staff. Things have fallen into place. The main thing that got us there is our defense."

Lunce said he has an athletic club, but one that lacks size. At 6-foot-3, senior point guard Korvall McElroy is the tallest starter. He averages 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.

These Eagles pride themselves on taking care of the ball, averaging just over 11 turnovers per game, but will get tested by Springstead's suffocating press.

"The way I see it, we've played competitive with the majority of the best teams in the area," Lunce said. "It would surprise me that they're that much better than anyone we've faced."

Like Springstead, Poinciana likes to push the ball in transition, which should make for an entertaining, up-tempo contest.

"They hustle to the ball well. They pass well, they run the floor well," Kelly said. "They present a different kind of challenge than we're used to. But we're pretty versatile.

"…We've got to control the court, not leave it up to them. We've got to move the ball to good spots. We've got to rebound better than we have been, and play defense like we've played all season."

The way Springstead has played all season has resulted in nothing but wins, and raised the bar on what this program could achieve.

Kelly said he would wait until everything was said and done before determining the success of this campaign.

According to Nichols, speaking from his team's experience last year, the Eagles should take pride in what they've already done.

"How they handle it is really up to that team," Nichols said. "If they don't win a state title, they shouldn't feel like they failed. To get through all that and get one loss, that's still a great accomplishment. Not many teams are able to do that. They should cherish that accomplishment."

AT A GLANCE
WHAT: 2009 FHSAA Class 4A, Region II quarterfinal.
WHO: Kissimmee-Poinciana Eagles (16-9, 4A-7 runners-up) vs. Springstead Eagles (27-0, 4A-8 champions).
WHEN: Today, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Springstead's gym.
AT STAKE: Spot in Feb. 24 regional semifinal against Hudson/Groveland-South Lake winner.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Poinciana (Jay Lunce, 8th year) – F Wayne Ricks (Jr), F Travis Martinez (Sr)/G Osanto Marc (So), G Lex Curry (So), G Josh Delgado (Sr), PG Korvall McElroy (Sr); Springstead (Pat Kelly, 2nd year) – C Isaiah Mason (Sr), F Addison O'Neil (Jr), F Domnique Roberson (Sr), G Nick Steadman (Jr)/Sal Latimer (So), PG Dante Valentine (Sr).

BY THE NUMBERS: SPRINGSTEAD'S REGIONAL HISTORY
Year Opponent Result
1981 P.K. Yonge L 36-49
1988 Bartow L 48-76
1996 George Jenkins L 47-57
1997 George Jenkins L 44-63
2000 North Marion W 45-41
2000 Lake Wales L 35-71
2006 Bishop Moore L 46-56
2007 Bishop Moore L 41-53

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

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