Girls Basketball Preview

By DAVID MURPHY
Published January 28, 2007

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 - Final 7 p.m.

Favorite: Wesley Chapel

Other contenders: None. 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. Central's Ronisha Browdy is averaging 16.8 points per game and has hit 54 3-pointers this season.

County Outlook: Central has a pretty good shot at beating River Ridge, but it would take a miracle of an effort to knock off Wesley Chapel in the semifinals. The Rams are simply too powerful. Browdy brings an interesting dimension to the game - she has hit 54 3-point field goals this season compared with 56 two-point field goals and is shooting 81 percent from the free-throw line. The Bears have gotten good play out of their supporting cast - Courtney LeCours is averaging eight points per game and Shareena White is averaging 7.3, while Tikeisi Relaford is the county's leading rebounder at 8.8 per game.

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

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 - Final, 7

Favorite: Ocala St. John Lutheran

Other contenders: None. St. John 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: Junior guard Meredith Hanshaw (11.4 points, 3.0 rebounds per game), junior guard Ellie Langley (9.1 ppg) and sophomore post Heidi Riley (7.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg) lead HCA. Keep an eye on 5-foot-7 freshman Audrey Allen (4.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and eighth-grader Brittany Flowers (8.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg). Hanshaw and Langley, who recently took over point guard duties, are the quickest players. But the Lions have to hit the slow down enough to take advantage of fast-break opportunities.

County outlook: Hernando Christian can beat Bishop McLaughlin, but favored St. Johns will be waiting for the Lions in the semis.

Did you know? HCA has one senior on its roster.

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 - Final, 7 p.m.

The favorite: Nature Coast. The Sharks went undefeated in district play and are by far the most talented team in the field.

Other contenders: Gulf, Pasco

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 points 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.

County outlook: On paper, Nature Coast should claim the district title. The Sharks are incredibly well-rounded, with six players averaging at least five points per game and five averaging at least four rebounds. Guards Jessica Eberts and Crystal Anthony can both catch fire from 3-point range. Eberts is second in the county with 44 3-pointers this season. Cherikhan Waddy brings a slashing dimension to the Sharks' attack.

Did you know?: Nature Coast is shooting 43 percent from the foul line. None of its top five scorers is shooting better than 47 percent at the line.

[Last modified January 27, 2007, 21:54:26]