CLEARWATER - Tampa Catholic upset St. Petersburg Catholic 37-33, giving the Crusaders their first district title in more than a decade.
"These girls spent three years getting pretty much beat by everyone," said TC coach Greg Finkle, in his third year as coach. The Crusaders spent most of this year getting beat, too, starting 1-6, including two losses to SPC.
"I've seen them improve each and every time we play them," SPC coach Nick Vandewalle said.
The Barons lost starting guard Stephanie Spiewak in the second quarter, but still outscored TC 13-4 to take a seven-point lead into halftime.
Ashley Carrea led all scorers with 11 points and hit the game's biggest shot. The Crusaders had trailed by seven through most of the second half but tied it at 30 with less than two minutes left in the fourth. Carrea scored the game's only 3 and gave TC a 33-30 lead.
"It was there and I took it," Carrea said.
Robin Link led SPC with 10 points, but saw triple coverage most of the night. The Barons (19-8) were outscored 15-7 in the fourth, where TC guard Kim Busche grabbed two of her four steals, both ending in uncontested layups.
"I thought we got beat up inside," Vandewalle said. "We lost Spiewak and no one else stepped up."
