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Youth no problem vs. Bears

LAKELAND -- Winter Springs had advanced to the state championship game three straight years, and the Bears knew exactly how they were going to make it four: Let Clearwater -- and its freshmen-laden lineup -- wilt in the state-tournament pressure cooker.

Not a chance.

In Wednesday's Class 5A semifinal, it was the Tornadoes' freshmen who played with composure, especially in the pivotal first and fourth quarters, as Clearwater defeated Winter Springs 63-53.

"To see how young they are and how well they played together and how under control they were in a very hectic situation (was surprising)," Winter Springs assistant coach Mark Huaman said. "Their (freshmen) played with a lot of poise."

"They've been doing it all season," Clearwater senior guard Kasie Muchler said.

How much-younger Clearwater would handle the spotlight in the spacious Lakeland Center was the game's biggest question, and the Tornadoes' rookies answered it immediately. On the first possession, freshman point guard Nicole Ryan whipped a pass underneath to freshman Karen Braden for a 2-0 lead.

It became a theme. Braden (15 points) quickly scored Clearwater's first six points, Ryan made it 8-5 with a layup and Clearwater was off.

Ryan finished with nine assists, and Braden was perfect from the floor, making all seven shots, including a critical 3-pointer during the Tornadoes' fourth-quarter surge.

Freshman Rachel Hammond, Clearwater's sixth man, contributed her usual sticky man-to-man defense and chipped in seven points and a team-high six rebounds, while classmate Danielle Kostacky played valuable minutes in the paint and blocked a shot.

"Our theme this week was, "Why put pressure on ourselves?"' Clearwater coach Tom Shaneyfelt said.

Instead, the Tornadoes put pressure on Winter Springs.

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