AHN's foe all too familiar

St. Petersburg Catholic is 3-0 against the Jaguars this season.

By BRYAN BURNS
Published February 18, 2006

TAMPA - Don't blame Academy of the Holy Names if it's getting a little tired of facing St. Petersburg Catholic with something more than pride on the line.

Tonight's Class 3A region final between AHN and SPC will be the teams' fourth meeting this season. SPC (26-2) won all three of those, including a come-from-behind 52-46 victory in the district final.

"It says a lot about our district that we have two teams playing in the region final," Academy coach Casey Higgins said.

The Barons have won four straight over Academy (22-7) dating to last season when SPC defeated Academy for the district crown. In fact, SPC has won three of the past four district titles at Academy's expense.

Academy avoided playing SPC in regionals last season when the Barons lost 53-43 to Jensen Beach in the semifinals.

There will be no avoiding the second-ranked Barons this time. Academy will have to figure out a way to play four good quarters to advance to the state final four for the second year in a row. The Jaguars defeated Jensen Beach 54-43 in last season's region final to make it to the Lakeland Center.

"This is a classic David and Goliath match up," Higgins said. "We've played three good quarters each time and then we'll have a breakdown in a quarter. We'll play poorly for a two or three-minute spurt, and we can't recover."

Higgins isn't quite sure how Academy, tied for ninth in 3A, will respond as an underdog.

In the Jaguars' victory over Jensen Beach last season, neither team could claim to be the favorite as they were both tied for eighth in the state rankings. It also was the first meeting between the teams, eliminating the familiarity factor.

Academy will have no such luck avoiding the underdog role tonight.

"This team has been together for a while, but we haven't played too many games as underdogs," Higgins said.

"We are a severe underdog this year, and I'm anxious to see how we will respond. Our players and coaches are probably the only people who think we can win."

[Last modified February 18, 2006, 02:00:25]