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Gators finally bite Rams, 47-44

LAND O'LAKES -- Rachel Rogala was tired of being a part of history. Tuesday night, the Land O'Lakes senior point guard made some of her own.

For the first time since Jan. 19, 1999, Pasco County powerhouse Ridgewood lost to a county foe, falling 47-44 to Land O'Lakes on the road thanks to Rogala.

It was the first Class 4A, District 8 and Sunshine Athletic Conference loss for the Rams this season, and their first loss to the Gators since the 1998-99 season.

Rogala scored 14 points, sank eight of 13 free throws, made two huge steals with 15.7 seconds left and scored the final three points to break her personal nine-game losing streak to the Rams.

"Four years, man, four years of hard work, dedication, bumps and bruises, and this is what it comes down to," she said. "Heart, pure heart. That's all it was."

Ridgewood is still on track to secure the top seed in the 4A-8 tournament, but has lost three consecutive games to fall to 15-5 overall, 7-1 in the district and 8-1 in the SAC. Land O'Lakes improved to 16-3, 10-2 in 4A-8 and 13-2 in the conference.

It was Rogala who willed her team to an improbable, last-minute upset of a team that beat Land O'Lakes by 34 in December.

After a rough first half for both squads, the Rams held every advantage late, holding a six-point lead with 4 minutes, 42 seconds left, running their infamous clock-killing formation, passing the ball endlessly around the corners. It took seven fouls for the Gators to get their foes to the line, and the Rams missed five consecutive free throws in the last 5:54 of the fourth quarter.

At the other end, the Gators chipped away at the lead, as Roshaunda Washington hit a layup and two free throws and Melissa White sank a pair to tie it.

Ridgewood's Joeyn Dearsman sank five 3-pointers, her last with 3:54 left, yet the Rams would not score again -- a scoreless stretch similar to a crucial 4:05 span in the third quarter that also held Ridgewood without a basket.

Dearsman's desperation 3-pointer with 3 seconds left clanked off the rim.

She led the Rams with 17 points and Crystal Ayers had 14. Washington led the Gators with 16 points and April Slate had eight.

Land O'Lakes won despite making just 14 field goals, going 17 of 31 at the line. Ridgewood made just three of nine free throws.

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