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East Lake upset again

By BOB PUTNAM

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 25, 2000

EAST LAKE -- East Lake won the first game of its Class 5A, District 9 semifinal against River Ridge on Thursday, but it lost something more important: momentum.

After holding a 14-5 lead in the first game, the Eagles struggled to finish off the Knights and had to sweat out the win. It had a lingering effect as East Lake, the No. 1 seed and host of the tournament, couldn't regain its early dominance and lost 19-17, 13-15, 11-15.

"When you're up 14-5 and you don't put the game away, you're going to have trouble," Eagles coach Terry Small said. "After that, we knew it was going to be a long battle."

The second and third games were facsimiles of the first, in which East Lake built up leads (12-9 and 11-8) it couldn't hold. River Ridge will play Ridgewood in the final at 7 p.m. Thursday after the Rams took a 15-5, 16-14 victory over Palm Harbor in Tuesday's other semifinal. For the Eagles, it marks the second consecutive season they had the No. 1 seed and lost in the semifinals.

"Coming in tonight, I was fearing the same thing would happen with the No. 1 seed as last season," Small said. "I wasn't comfortable with it. This hurts."

3A-9: Barons eliminated

TAMPA -- St. Petersburg Catholic played about as well it could in a 15-3, 16-14 loss to Berkeley Prep. But SPC coach Barbara Shames said it was too bad her team had to meet Berkeley in the semis, something that happened after the Florida High School Activities Association ruled Berkeley played the season with an ineligible player. In the meantime, the ruling led to the Bucs forfeiting all of their matches, dropping them to the last seed at No. 6.

It also meant SPC (18-7) jumped from the No. 3 seed to No. 2, and suddenly, instead of playing on the opposite side of the Bucs' bracket, it had to face them in the semis.

"It's unfortunate because these girls have worked so hard and we firmly believe that if the seedings would have stayed the way they were originally formed, we would have met Berkeley in the final and been able to go on in the playoffs," Shames said. "We tried this past week to get the FHSAA to do the right thing by keeping the seedings the way they were, but (the FHSAA) wouldn't do it."

Berkeley moves on to meet Academy of the Holy Names (11-17) in Thursday's final. AHN beat Clearwater Central Catholic 10-15, 15-6, 15-12.

- SCOTT PURKS

DISTRICT VOLLEYBALL

CLASS 5A, DISTRICT 9

at East Lake

Tuesday's results

Ridgewood d. Palm Harbor U. 15-5, 16-14

River Ridge d. East Lake 17-19, 15-13, 15-11

CLASS 5A, DISTRICT 10

at Boca Ciega

Tuesday's results

St. Petersburg d. Pinellas Park 5-15, 16-14, 15-10

Today's matches

Seminole vs. Boca Ciega, 6

Countryside vs. St. Petersburg winner, 7:30.

CLASS 4A, DISTRICT 9

at Lakewood

Tuesday's results

Northeast d. Dunedin 16-14, 15-12

Lakewood d. Gibbs 15-7, 15-1

CLASS 3A, DISTRICT 9

at Academy of the Holy Names

Tuesday's results

AHN d. Clearwater Central Catholic 10-15, 15-6, 15-12

Berkeley Prep d. St. Petersburg Catholic 15-3, 16-14

CLASS 2A, DISTRICT 11

at Keswick Christian

Tuesday's results

Northside Chr. d. Indian Rocks Chr. 16-14, 15-3

CLASS A, DISTRICT 9

at Sarasota Christian

Tuesday's results

Canterbury d. Lakeside Christian 15-5, 9-15, 15-8

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