A pair of holiday routs

Springstead and River Ridge struggle in their tournament openers.

By DEREK J. La RIVIERE, Times Correspondent
Published December 28, 2007

SPRING HILL - The holidays haven't seemed to make anything easier for Springstead or River Ridge, with both being thoroughly dominated on the opening day of the first annual Springstead tournament.

River Ridge started Thursday evening with a 54-34 loss at the hands of Crystal River.

The Pirates (10-3) were led by the inside presence of Michelle McDonald.

Centering the offensive attack, McDonald led the team with game highs in points (26) and rebounds (14). Along the way, she became a stopper on the defensive end with four steals and two blocks.

"When the game started, it came to me a little easy," McDonald said. "As the defense adjusted, I had to go the basket and get other players involved."

The Knights (1-15) countered with center Ana Alberti on McDonald. Doing what she could to contain the opposing star, Alberti was able to finish with a team-high seven rebounds.

To finish the evening, host Springstead (1-14) fell to the Villages (11-4) for the third time this season.

Although the first two losses were close, the Buffalo used an 11-0 first quarter to defeat the Eagles 34-25.

"His girls started quickly," Springstead coach Todd Toomer said. "The other two games we played against them were decided at the buzzer, but things were a little tougher tonight."

Springstead forward Sasha Spalding slowed the Villages offense for most of the game thanks to 11 rebounds and five blocks. Still, the game was not as close as the final score - Christina Brinker nailed three 3-pointers for the Eagles in the final minute of regulation.

The Buffalo scoring effort was driven by point guard Megan McCue and her 13 points. The scoring tailed off when McCue decided to spread the ball around more instead of shooting.

[Last modified December 27, 2007, 23:58:10]