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Bucs peak at right time

By ERIC MUSKATEVC
Published January 28, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - Point guard Sam Ovind runs it up the court, passes to Lauren Bullock. Bullock drives, dishes back out to Ovind while Kayla Kral battles for position in the post. Ovind dumps it down to her, and she's quickly double-teamed. And Jordan Schulman? 

"You can find me on the right wing. Right between the baseline and the free-throw line," Schulman said. "Right where I like it."

That's her spot behind the 3-point line, her home. Schulman, a junior, has made a living behind the arc, nailing a total of 62 3-pointers this season - her coaches say she is averaging more 3s a game than anyone in the state - while helping Gulf to a 12-1 record since the break after starting the season 4-6.

Heading into this week's district tournament, Gulf is arguably the hottest team in the county. Schulman is a big reason why, but she's not alone.

Ovind leads the county in assists with 6.6 a game, but has averaged more than eight a game during the current hot streak. She had never played point guard, but has become a natural at the position.

Bullock has proven to be one of the top guards in the county with 17 points and seven rebounds a game over the past 13 games. Kral has been a steady but improving force on the boards.

None were big factors the past two seasons (Bullock was at River Ridge) while the Bucs went 54-4 and made the region final. But after losing every starter to graduation or different schools and about 95 percent of their offense, coach Mike Quarto had to build from the bottom up.

Early on it wasn't easy, and the Bucs went into the winter break on a four-game losing streak.

"There are so many factors for turning it around," Quarto said. "But first and foremost is the girls coming together and jelling as a team. It took us a while to do that."

Schulman has been as reliable a scorer as there is in Pasco County. Since the Bucs' last loss before Christmas, she has scored 13 points or more in every game but one and is not shy about firing it up from long range.

"Some days I can't even recall how many I take," Schulman said. "I can remember Zephyrhills when I was 1-for-18, but half the time I don't even know how many points I've scored until the next day. With the way Sam and Lauren have been on fire I don't even think about it."

The Bucs are the No. 3 seed in the district tournament. Four of their seven losses are to a pair of teams they'll probably have to beat to win another title - Pasco, the likely semifinal opponent, and No. 1 Nature Coast.

The Sharks handed Gulf their last loss, winning 47-45. But Schulman had an off night, something the Bucs haven't had many of lately.

[Last modified January 27, 2007, 20:42:14]