ST. PETERSBURG - Indian Rocks Christian's prolific season culminated with a Class 2A, District 11 championship as the Golden Eagles defeated Northside Christian 54-32 in Saturday's final.
The Golden Eagles' full-court press and height advantage were key factors. IRC finished district play by winning 12 of their last 13 games.
"We did a good job pressing them into key mistakes, and we were very patient defensively," IRC coach Phil Farver said.
An 8-0 run to start the game and a 9-2 run early in the second quarter helped IRC take a 21-9 halftime lead.
Gabby Gattuso led IRC with 16 points and her sister, Mo, added 10. They combined to score 16 of the Golden Eagles' first 21 points.
"Gabby posted up great tonight, and she had a lot of offensive rebounds that helped us," Farver said.
A 20-point third quarter, including 3-pointers by Kelsey Evans and Amanda Panty (who hit two) salvaged the win and solidified the championship for IRC (19-8).
Morgan Jackson led Northside Christian with nine points, including two 3-pointers. April Allbritton scored eight in the loss.
The Mustangs (13-14) dressed only six players and were plagued by turnovers and poor free-throw shooting (5-for-16).
