EUSTIS - True to coach Poncho Broner's words, Pasco stayed with District 7 champion Eustis all night.
Unfortunately for the Pirates, a 22-point first-half deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
John Daniel had 22 points and Darrell Davis added 18, but Pasco lost 83-67.
T.J. Bryant scored all of his 16 points in the second half the Pirates (19-10) twice cut the Panthers' lead to seven in the fourth quarter, only to fall victim to a pair of momentum-changing 3s.
"I knew we were down, but I know this group and I knew there was no way we were going to lay down," Broner said. "They had two big threes that kept us from getting over the hump."
Courtney Keith (eight points) hit the first key 3-pointer for Eustis (25-3) with 6 minutes, 22 seconds remaining to extend the Panthers lead to 63-51. Akeem Dunham (12 points) nailed the second 3-pointer with 2:06 remaining to stem the tide for the final time and push the lead back to 73-63.
Pasco, which trailed 32-10 with 4:59 left in the second quarter, cut the margin to 73-65 on a drive by Bryant with 1:23 left, but couldn't get any closer.
4A: Springstead runs out of gas
SPRING HILL - The music finally stopped for Springstead.
The Eagles were in a groove lately, running the table in the 4A-8 district tournament, cabbage-patching over the top two seeds in the process. Then the DJ called it quits.
Only this DJ was Bishop Moore's DJ Ferguson, who led all scorers with 22 points.
Without injured starting 6-foot-7 center Ethan Selph, Springstead played just six players and fell 55-46 to Orlando Bishop Moore. Senior guard AB Rodriguez closed out his career scoring just 10 points, his lowest effort of the season. The Eagles (18-10) missed 3-pointers they drained with ease during the district tournament, were outrebounded for the first time this season and couldn't handle Bishop Moore guards Ferguson and Danny Krazit (20 points) - teammates since middle school.
"One thing we always do is get after it on defense and outrebound the other team," Springstead coach Craig Swartout said. "We just got wore out. Our worse fear was realized."
Selph's presence would have remedied that, said Swartout.
"And he'd at least have grabbed some rebounds. I know that," Rodriguez added.
Bishop Moore coach Irwin Hudson said he was prepared to go 11 deep, but stuck with a nine-man rotation. The Eagles' slim lineup logged heavy minutes, on the other hand. Derek Skinner (five points), Tim Hennigan (14) and Rodriguez played the full game. Jeff and Jason Haynes and Chris Caggiano split time in the front court.
With the score tied at 39 after three quarters, the Hornets (21-8) pulled away. They were quicker to loose balls, beat Springstead down the floor on fast breaks and got second- and third-chance opportunities on the offensive end. Bishop Moore started the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run that put the game out Springstead's reach with its anemic offense.
