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Girls basketball district preview

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published January 28, 2007

Class 6A, District 7

Where: Mitchell

Schedule: Wednesday - 5 Countryside vs. (4) Alonso, 6 p.m.; (6) Gaither vs. (3) Sickles, 8 p.m.; Friday - (2) St. Petersburg vs. Gaither-Sickles winner, 6 p.m.; (1) Mitchell vs. Countryside-Alonso winner, 8 p.m. Saturday - Championship, 7 p.m.

The favorite: Still Mitchell. Yes, the Mustangs have stumbled into the district tournament after getting stretched by Alonso in a close win, and lost to St. Petersburg, but they still have the best player in the district (Kristi Hopper) and the best team.

Key game: St. Petersburg will probably meet Sickles in the semifinals, and both teams played well against Mitchell this season. Chances are, the Mustangs would rather see Sickles, which they beat twice, instead of a St. Petersburg team that handed them their lone district loss - on their home court, no less.

Key players: Mitchell's Hopper is the district's best shooter, averaging almost four 3-pointers a game since Jan. 9; Mustangs point guard Joanna Bussa has scored in double figures three straight games while teammate Latoya Hillmon is the top defender; St. Petersburg's Latonya Davis, Jaznyne Green and Kamyia Smith are three of the most athletic players in the district; Sickles' Shawnta Snakovsky averages 17 ppg; Alonso's Lisette Perez is a top 3-point shooter.

Did you know?: Hopper (65), Snakovsky (52) and Perez (45) are among the leaders in Tampa Bay in 3-pointers made.

Class 5A, District 7

Where: Ridgewood.

Schedule: Tuesday - (5) River Ridge vs. (4) Central, 7 p.m. Wednesday - (1) Wesley Chapel vs. River Ridge-Central winner, 6 p.m.; (2) Ridgewood vs. (3) Land O'Lakes, 8 p.m.; Saturday - Championship, 7 p.m.

The favorite: Wesley Chapel. The mighty Wildcats are 21-4 and have won all eight of their district games by an average of 34 points. That number is skewed by 54-, 56- and 59-point victories, but no one came closer than 13 points to upsetting Wesley Chapel.

Key game: Ridgewood and Land O'Lakes will play in one semifinal for the right to face Wesley Chapel, with the winner clinching a state playoff spot. The Gators have been decimated by the loss of standout Kayli Keough and are 0-2 against Ridgewood, including a 53-23 loss Jan. 16.

Key players: Wesley Chapel point guard Desiree Vizciano is playing her best ball and freeing up leading scorer Sthefany Thomas; Ridgewood's Jen Daun leads the Rams in scoring and rebounding, though balance is the key to the team's success; Land O'Lakes guards Brittany Knipp and Emily Seda could save the Gators in the semifinals.

Did you know?: Thomas has made 268 shots and only missed 109 for a county-best 71 percent.

Class 4A, District 8

Where: Nature Coast.

Schedule: Tuesday - (2) Pasco vs. (7) Zephyrhills, 6 p.m.; (1) Nature Coast vs. (8) Springstead, 8 p.m.; Wednesday - (4) South Sumter vs. (5) Hernando, 6 p.m.; (3) Gulf vs. (6) Hudson, 8 p.m.; Thursday - Pasco-Zephyrhills winner vs. Gulf-Hudson winner, 6 p.m.; Nature Coast-Springstead winner vs. Hernando-South Sumter winner, 8 p.m. Saturday - Championship, 7 p.m.

The favorite: Nature Coast, by a sliver. It was 14-0 in the district, but needed a last-second shot to beat Gulf and had to fight past Pasco. The Sharks will face one or the other for the championship.

Key game: Gulf and Pasco should meet in the semifinals, and the Pirates own two victories over the Bucs. But those came early as Gulf struggled to a 4-6 start. Since Pasco's 44-37 win on Dec. 18, Gulf is 12-1.

Key players: Shareka Maner averages 10.6 point and leads Nature Coast; Gulf's Jordan Schulman, Lauren Bullock and Sam Ovind are the best trio in the district; Pasco's Krystal Jenkins has been battling a sore back, but she needs to be in top form for Pasco to have a chance in the semifinals.

Did you know?: Of the seven games Schulman has not made at least three 3-pointers, five were against district competition.

Class 3A, District 7

Where: Mount Dora.

Schedule: Tuesday - (4) Umatilla vs. (5) Wiregrass Ranch, 5:30 p.m.; (3) Mount Dora vs. (6) The Villages, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday - (1) Wildwood vs. Umatilla-Wiregrass winner, 5:30 p.m.; (2) Ocala Trinity Catholic vs. Mounta Dora-Villages winner, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday - Championship, 7 p.m.

The favorite: Wildwood was unbeaten in district play.

Key game: Wiregrass Ranch can pick up the first postseason win in school history against Umatilla, a decent possibility. The Bulls went on the road to beat Umatilla 38-36 on Dec. 15, avenging a 22-point loss earlier in the season.

Key players: Wiregrass freshmen Julie Gould and Regan Knapik are two future standouts in Pasco County. They lead the Bulls in scoring with 12.7 and 11.5 points a game, respectively. If they can reach their averages, Wiregrass' reward could be a trip to the semifinals for a meeting with Wildwood.

Did you know: Wiregrass' last win was 43-30 over River Ridge Dec. 19, the team's last victory.

Class A, District 6

Where: Bishop McLaughlin

Schedule: Tuesday - (7) First Academy vs.(2) Seven Rivers, 4:30 p.m.; (6) Cedar Key vs. (3) Meadowbrook Academy, 6 p.m.; (5) Bishop McLaughlin vs. (4) Hernando Christian, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday - Seven Rivers/First Academy winner vs. Meadowbrook/Cedar Key winner, 6 p.m.; (1) St. John Lutheran vs. Hernando Christian/Bishop McLaughlin winner, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday - Championship, 7 p.m.

Favorite: Ocala St. John Lutheran should dominate.

Key game: Hernando Christian vs. Bishop McLaughlin. It's tough to beat a team three times, especially when the third time is on the losing team's home court. Hernando Christian defeated Bishop McLaughlin by an average of 12 points.

Key players: Bishop McLaughlin sophomore Kristen Pawlowski is one of the top players in the district. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging 13.6 points and 12.6 rebounds a game; Hernando Christian junior guard Meredith Hanshaw averages 11.4 ppg.

Did you know? Seven of the 10 players on Bishop McLaughlin's roster are freshmen or sophomores.

John C. Cotey can be reached at cotey@sptimes.com or (727) 869-6261.

[Last modified January 27, 2007, 20:47:21]