DADE CITY - Its best player, Crystal Ayers, is out for the season with a knee injury. It was on the road, facing a team with a 13-game win streak on senior night, no less. Its 17-point halftime lead dwindled to three, and it was outscored by 11 in the second half.
Rasputin would be proud, though.
Because Ridgewood just keeps on winning, edging Pasco 43-38 on Friday at the Dr. Donald McBath Activity Center.
"We came out ready to play. We were very focused in the first quarter, and that gave us the lead at halftime," Rams coach Greg Bollinger said. "I think that was very important because I knew (the Pirates) were going to make a run at us."
The stakes were high in this regular-season finale. Pasco wanted what Ridgewood already had: the Sunshine Athletic Conference title. The Rams (23-1) already had clinched a fifth consecutive title, but the Pirates (18-2) could earn a share of it with a victory.
But Ridgewood denied Pasco, holding off a furious fourth-quarter rally. The Pirates outscored the Rams 12-6 during the final minutes. But Ridgewood made the key plays that won the game.
Alicia Badger's basket cut the lead to three. Then Badger and Molly Barthle forced a jump ball, giving the Pirates possession with 31.5 seconds left. But Nina Bonaparte stole it back 10 seconds later.
When teammate Jen Barrett missed a chance to make the lead four at the foul line, Bonaparte came up with the rebound with 13 seconds left. With 6.6 seconds left, Barrett ended it, going 2-of-2 at the line. Minutes later, the Rams were wearing SAC championship T-shirts.
Pasco was too late atoning for a miserable first half in which it was outscored 8-1 in the first quarter and 24-7 in the half. The Pirates came out firing in the second half, and four 3-pointers by Caitlin Elliott and three by Ashley Davis shredded the Rams' lead.
"It's kind of like a fight," Bollinger said. "We took a lot of punches with all those 3s, and we staggered a little bit there. But we hung in, and I think it's a credit to the seniors because they've been here before."
Davis led Pasco with 13. Elliott had 12 and Badger nine. Jamie Surmin and Megan Curl led Ridgewood with nine, and Barrett had six.
Pasco's post game suffered from the loss of Ashley McSwain in the first quarter. She sprained her left ankle. She returned from the hospital on crutches and could miss a week.
"When you're down by 17 points at halftime, it makes a difference playing catch-up," Pirates coach Tony Vasquez said. "We had too many turnovers, and you can't do that against a good team."
