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Panthers like their chances against Rams
By CAREY FREEMAN, Times Staff Writer LECANTO -- The good news for Lecanto is that it won't have to face Leesburg again for at least two more playoff rounds. The bad news is that the Panthers will have to defeat two teams of equal or superior talent to get that rematch, beginning with tonight's 7:30 tipoff with Ridgewood. "I think we have a chance," Lecanto coach Ron Allan said. "Leesburg is one of the most athletic teams we've played in a few years. Not that Ridgewood isn't athletic, but not to the point that Leesburg is. "Leesburg is so quick," he said. "They can jump and do a lot of things. "Ridgewood is much more disciplined and they shoot the ball very well." The Rams won their fourth consecutive district title with a 39-37 victory over Mitchell and are powered by a trio of sharpshooters. Point guard Crystal Ayers, a defensive star with a knack for steals, leads Ridgewood with 15.6 points per game. She is flanked by 3-point specialist Joeyn Dearsman (12.4 ppg) and forward Rachel Rauber (11.6). While Ridgewood presents its share of problems, Allan believes the matchups will not be as problematic as they were in a 63-36 loss to Leesburg in the Class 4A District 7 final. Yellow Jackets guard Jasmine Patterson had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals in that game. "Leesburg gets up and down the court and you don't really know where it might come from. With Ridgewood, you've got a pretty good idea where it's going to come from." None of this will matter much if Lecanto continues to make the same mistakes it did against Leesburg and in 20 other losses this year, including a 12-point loss to the Rams. The Panthers have been able to get good shots, but are having trouble knocking them down. Turnovers have also been a problem -- the Panthers committed 25 in the loss to Leesburg. "We've got to take care of the ball and do the things that we work on in practice," Allan said. "Against Leesburg, we came out and turned the ball over a lot." The Panthers have had some time to prepare for Ridgewood, something they did not have in the district tournament. Lecanto lost to Leesburg just two days after an emotional victory over Central. "We were just beat from Thursday night (Central)," Allan said. "We expended so much energy against Central and we would have had a hard time beating anybody on Saturday. "Hopefully," he said, "we'll come in (tonight) with fresh legs and be able to execute and make good decisions." CLASS 4A, REGION 2 GIRLS BASKETBALLWHO: Lecanto (9-21) at Ridgewood (24-5). WHEN: Tonight, 7:30. WHERE: Ridgewood High School.
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