SPC takes out the home team

By DOUG KATES
Published November 27, 2005

LARGO - There were only three lead changes during the Indian Rocks Christian Thanksgiving Tournament, but that doesn't mean fans walked away bored.

Despite a lack of back-and-forth scoring, the championship game turned into a thriller as St. Petersburg Catholic defeated the Golden Eagles 64-55 Saturday night.

The Barons trailed for only 12 seconds, but that statistic does not give a clear picture of the battle.

SPC led 12-9 after the first quarter, then fell behind 23-22 with 1:33 to play in the half. The Barons retook the lead and had a 24-23 advantage at halftime. SPC outscored the Golden Eagles 40-32 in the second half.

The Barons are now 4-0 and coach Nick Vandewalle said winning the title proves his team has the confidence to win big games.

"Yes, there was good competition in this tournament, but the way our girls think, they (felt they) didn't have to come out and beat (anyone). They were the team to beat," he said. "They are playing that way - not as chasing another team, but trying to make another team beat them. Indian Rocks tried to shake that confidence."

The Golden Eagles (3-2) knew they were the underdogs, but the one-point deficit at halftime created a huge cheer in their locker room.

"They knew they were in the game," coach Phil Farver said. "We knew we had a shot right down to the fourth quarter."

In the four games played, the lead changed hands just three times. On Friday, Clearwater led SPC 4-0 to start the game, but lost 52-40. Also on Friday, Hollywood led Indian Rocks 2-0 at the start, then never led again.

In the consolation final, Clearwater (3-1) led Hollywood Christian (2-3) 18-0 in the first quarter and breezed to a 79-41 victory.

SPC had two players on the all-tournament team - MVP Sasha Chaplin, who scored 18 in the title game, and Holly Janicki. Indian Rocks also had two all-stars in Amanda Panty, who led the Golden Eagles with 17 points, and Mo Gattuso.

[Last modified November 27, 2005, 01:19:10]