Blue Streaks Shock Pirates In Tourney Opener

Shock and dismay were etched on the faces of the Braden River girls basketball team on Tuesday, as they couldn't believe what had just transpired.

In contrast, the No. 6-seeded Sebring squad was jumping and cheering as the clock struck double-zero and the Streaks pulled off a 41-35 upset victory over the third-seeded Pirates in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A-District 10 tournament at Avon Park High School.

Senior Hannah Shoop, who led the Streaks with 11 points, said that her team had no doubt coming into the game that they could win.

"We played them tight the last time we faced each other and I think that gave us the confidence, even though we lost, that we could beat them," Shoop said. "I woke up this morning and said to myself 'I'm feeling it,' and we came ready to play.

"All the work and plays that we went over in practice was working on the court. I like being the underdog."

Sebring head coach Mike Lee said that he made some adjustments after the last meeting between the two teams - Braden River won 61-48 - and that made all the difference in the game.

"I talked with former Lake Placid boys basketball head coach Steve Young on Sunday and asked about defending the perimeter and he gave me some great advice," said. Lee. "We had the top player follow the ball the entire time instead of a normal zone where you only move to the next player. I think that really disrupted Braden River's offense and I don't think they ever recovered."

Leading 29-19 heading into the fourth, Sebring extended that lead to 14 points on a pair of quick jumpers by Shoop and Zykeria Dawkins, but Braden River went on a 12-2 run on the strength of a pair of 3-pointers by leading scorer Heather Mirrabella to cut the Streaks lead to four points with 1:07 left to play.

"I was a bit nervous when they hit those three's and cut into our lead, but I had a feeling that time was on our side and we just had to hit our free throws," said Lee. "I thought we showed good poise down the stretch."

Sebring went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final minute to ice the victory and advance to face No. 2 seed DeSoto at 6 p.m. Friday.

Center Shannon Williams, who finished with six points, played some great defense in the first half, when she deferred to Shoop for the offense since she was battling a cold and didn't have her legs under her.

"I wasn't feeling good at all, so I did what I could defensively to make up for me being out of rhythm offensively," said Williams. "I finally was able to relax and hit some shots in the second half."

Two key baskets by Williams helped Sebring pump their lead back up to 10 points heading into the fourth after Braden River went on an 8-0 run and nearly held the Streaks scoreless in the quarter.

"We knew they were going to make a run and we had to be able to maintain our focus. Those shots by Shannon were key for us to hold on to a double-digit lead heading into that final quarter," said Lee. "Those shots really gave us the momentum and the confidence that we needed late in the game."

Emmanice McCullors finished with eight points, while Jerica Moore and Madison Rose each had six points in the win.

The Streaks came out on fire on both ends of the court, as they built an 11-1 lead and held the high-octane Pirates offense to no field goals in the opening quarter.

That quarter set the tone for the entire game.

"We came out real flat and I give credit to Sebring, who came out and really took us out of our game," said Braden River head coach Amy Brush-VanHoof. "Defensively, we weren't in the right spot and Heather Mirrabella had a bad night shooting.

"We dug ourselves into a hole we couldn't get out of."

Mirrabella was held scoreless through three quarters before hitting a trio of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to finish with nine points, while Amanda Burnett had eight pints and Caitlyn Benedetto chipped in with seven points.

When asked about the semifinal match against DeSoto, Lee felt that his team was in a position to beat anyone on any given day.

"I told the team all year that we're building toward playing in February," said the SHS coach. "We went to overtime the last time we faced DeSoto and we've been competitive against nearly every team in our district. It's not talk anymore. We just beat the No. 3 seed and we're not done."

4A-D10 SEMIFINALS

Sebring vs. DeSoto

FRIDAY at 6 p.m.