Step One Done...Springstead Stomps Sunlake to Open Tournament, 72-38

DADE CITY - The rich has gotten richer, and may have some more help on the way.

Springstead High entered the Class 4A, District 8 Tournament at Pasco High this week as the top seed, seeking its third straight district championship.

However, the Eagle roster has gone through significant changes in recent weeks, some good and some bad.

Good: ineligible 6-foot-2 junior Isaiah Mason, brother of star guard Nehemiah Mason, finally joins the team on the court for the final five regular season contests.

Bad: junior point guard Dante Valentine, the team's leading scorer, injures his left elbow, potentially knocking him out for the postseason.

Minus Valentine, Springstead took on the tournament's eight seed, first-year Land O' Lakes-Sunlake High, in a quarterfinal Tuesday night.

It didn't need him, getting 16 points out of his replacement in the starting line-up, Ben Noury, and a double-double from Isaiah Mason in a 72-38 victory.

"My role (with Valentine out) is to be a more definite leader on the team and step up my game," Noury said. "Dante is one our of high scorers. He brought a lot of heart, a lot of aggressiveness.

"We're cutthroat right now. We're going for the kill. We see ourselves like a pack of wolves. We're hungry. We're trying to play every night like it's win or go home. You lose and you're out."

Mason sparks run

Sunlake (3-24) actually hung around for most of the opening half, before the Eagles (22-4) went on a 9-0 run in the final 1:30 of the second quarter.

A lay-up by Devin Williams had pulled the Seahawks within five, 19-14, but Isaiah Mason responded by knocking down a three-pointer.

"I was just wide open," Mason said. "So I was just taking it."

Noury and Dominic Roberson added a couple of baskets, then Roberson stole the ball and threw a full-court pass to Mason for a bucket just before time expired, making it 28-14 at halftime.

"Our kids, they do what they have to do," Springstead Head Coach Pat Kelly said. "Isaiah hit a big shot to separate us and we went from there.

"They (the Seahawks) scrapped the whole first half but they made it that way. They're willing to make the next pass, make the next pass. He (Sunlake coach Bob Marinak) does a nice job. But when we went to man (defense) that changed the game."

Springstead out-scored Sunlake 44-24 in the second half to run away with it, allowing both clubs to empty their bench for a large chunk of the fourth quarter.

Nehemiah Mason, who had nine points in the third quarter alone, tied Noury for the team-high in scoring with 16 points. His brother Isaiah tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds, while the versatile Roberson scored 12 points to go with six assists and five steals.

Tyler Hisamoto led the 'Hawks with 12 points. Their top player, Eli Escobar, was held to seven points, six rebounds and three steals.

The Eagles moved on to a Friday semifinal versus the winner of Wednesday's 4/5 match-up between Zephyrhills and Hudson High.

Valentine claimed he would return for that game, though Kelly was non-committal.

"We're ready to play. We know these games will be tight games," Kelly said. "We've got to stay focused, adjust and hopefully push the right buttons. The kids have got to make plays. If you make them you move on; if you don't you go home."

SPRINGSTEAD 72, SUNLAKE 38
Qtr. Scoring
1
2
3
4
 
 

Sunlake
10
4
12
12
-
38

Springstead
14
14
23
21
-
72

Land O' Lakes Sunlake (38): Escobar 1 5-7 7, Hisamoto 5 2-2 12, Williams 3 1-2 7, Hernandez 0, Dionisio 2 0-2 4, Simpson 1 2-2 4, Mulkey 0 2-4 2, Tate 0 2-2 2, Samuels 0 0-1 0, Pabon 0. Totals 12 14-22 38.
Springstead (72): Roberson 5 2-3 12, O'Neil 2 2-3 6, I. Mason 5 0-0 11, Noury 6 4-4 16, N. Mason 5 5-5 16, Jablon 1 2-2 4, Inniss 1 0-0 3, Echanique 0 2-2 2, Sabaski 1 0-0 2, Steadman 0. Totals 26 17-19 72.
Three-point field goals: SPG 3 (N. Mason, I. Mason, Inniss).
Total fouls: SL 17; SPG 17.
Technical fouls: Marinak (SL-coach), Roberson (SPG).
Fouled out: none.
Records: Land O' Lakes-Sunlake (3-24), Springstead (22-4).