Cobras aware of opponent's talent

Hudson has no illusions about the difficulty it will face against No. 2 Titusville Astronaut.

By JOHN C. COTEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 2001

HUDSON -- Nicole Warder, as she has done so many times in the past, saved the Hudson season in the regional quarterfinals.

She saved it by draining three-pointers -- three in the final period -- and pushing the offense and breaking down the North Marion defense. It was another great performance in a great career.

With the state's Class 4A, No. 2-ranked team, Titusville Astronaut, the next opponent, chances are it was the last great comeback Warder will orchestrate.

"If she waits any length of time (against Astronaut), it will be too late for us," coach Doreen Grote said. "If we don't hang with this team tomorrow and play a great game, we'll be really struggling."

Note to Warder: Shoot early, shoot often.

Astronaut will be the best team Hudson (19-6) has played this season. It has won 27 consecutive games en route to a 29-1 record, and is coming off a 60-33 win over Alachua Santa Fe. To fall behind, as Grote said, would be the mean trouble for the Cobras.

The War Eagles basketball team is comprised of most of the players that made up its volleyball team, which advanced to the state final four. The team lost there ... to Hudson, squandering a 14-6 lead in the second game.

While Alison Baker, an admitted basketball neophyte, had her way in the volleyball match, players she spiked over like Kayla Sheldon and Jennifer Clarke look for revenge tonight in their best sport.

"We have no illusions; we are fully aware we have to be superhuman," Grote said.

The game will pit Astronaut's inside game -- three different players posted double-doubles in the War Eagles' district title win -- against the outside talents of Warder and freshman Jennifer Barrett.

Against North Marion, the Cobras duo scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to rally its team to victory. But aside from the late and timely spurt, the Cobras did not play all that well.

"Truthfully, it wasn't very good; it was a sloppy game that wasn't played very well," Grote said. "Everyone was on Nicole's back when she turned on the turbo chargers and brought us back.

"We have to respect the fact that this team is ranked No. 2 in the state, so we're not fooling anybody. If we win, it will be by luck and hard work. We have to be awake from the get-go. There won't be any coming back from 11 points down, I don't think."

Not a high-scoring team, Hudson gets the majority of its points from the backcourt. Baker is 6-foot-1 and Lauren Bislick is 6-0, but neither shoots the ball well. Most of their baskets are layups, and those generally come via Warder's and Barrett's penetration and passes.

"They do their job," Grote said. "When you get Alison fired up, she pulls down some rebounds. And Lauren can score a little bit and pull down some rebounds. But we are best when we push the ball down the floor with Nicole and Jennifer. That's been our scoring. Nicole is averaging 16 points, and Jen is a little over 10. Other than that, we don't have a lot of firepower."

With the firepower the Cobras do have, winning tonight will require pulling the trigger early. That means Warder will have to be more selfish and Barrett will have to be the same stone-cold shooter she has been all season.

Barrett has been one of the county's top freshman. Having played with the Cobras during the summers since the seventh grade, as well as with Ridgewood's team, she came to the prep game more polished than most first-year players.

Able to play the point and take some of the pressure off Warder -- a natural shooting guard -- she helped make up the county's best backcourt.

"She comes with a lot of confidence," Grote said. "And thankfully so. To put that kind of pressure on a freshman point guard, to do those things and break the press, is tough. She's made some freshman mistakes, but she has been way beyond what we anticipated. She likes to take the ball to the hoop, and she won't hesitate to crank a three-pointer."

Want to go?

WHAT: Class 4A, Regional semifinals

WHO: Hudson vs. Titusville Astronaut

WHEN/WHERE: Hudson, 7:30 p.m.

MOVING ON: The winner will face the winner of the Hernando-Clay semifinal for the right to go to the state final four.

THE SKINNY: The War Eagles have won 27 consecutive games and are the state's No. 2-ranked team. The Cobras are bidding for the team's first 20-win season.

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