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Eagle savoring record nightBy GREG AUMAN © St. Petersburg Times, published December 29, 2000 It was the type of breakout performance Springstead coach Scott Bennett had been hoping for from Steve Ferguson -- the kind that can give the Eagles a spark into next year. Ferguson broke a 10-year-old school record by scoring 45 points in a 77-47 rout of winless Zephyrhills last week. He had 22 in the final quarter. "He's finally starting to get it," Bennett said of the senior, whose average jumped more than four points to a county-best 18.7 a game. "He's understanding that when he's on the move, not too many people around here can guard him," Bennett said. Ferguson had just eight points in the first half, in which Springstead led 29-20. He scored 15 in the third quarter. Bennett said he didn't realize the record was within reach until the game's final minutes. "I was not aware of anything until there were three minutes left, and someone told me he needed five points for the record," Bennett said. "So I told the kids to get him the ball." Bennett said several Eagles gave up layups to give Ferguson a shot at the record. In the final minute, he surpassed the mark set by Ryan O'Connell, who scored 43 points in a December 1990 game against Lecanto. En route to the record, Ferguson established a team mark for field goals, connecting on 20 of 35 attempts. He entered the season as the county's top returning player, but Ferguson hadn't shown the same offensive stroke until the Zephyrhills game. He almost matched his season total for two-pointers, having connected on just 23 in 79 attempts (29 percent) in Springstead's first six games. Ferguson got his 45 points with just one three-pointer and two free throws. "We don't want to rely on him, but he knows he has to score," Bennett said. "The team we played hadn't won a game, so I'd like to see how we do against a team closer to us." The Eagles (3-4) will have that tonight as they open play in the River Ridge Christmas Tournament against the host Royal Knights. Hernando is in the four-team field and will meet first-year Mitchell tonight. The winners and losers play again Saturday. FORFEIT: Bennett was disappointed to see that Countryside did not show up for a scheduled game at Springstead on Dec. 15. He said he had left multiple messages with the Countryside coach but hadn't gotten so much as a call back to explain why the team never showed. "I can't find out why," said Bennett, who scheduled the game before the season and even mailed a copy of Eagles' schedule to Countryside last month. "I called and left messages with the coach and their athletics director, but they never called back." Bennett said he wasn't sure if he would include the forfeit as part of Springstead's record. The victory would push the Eagles to .500 entering tonight's game. "I don't particularly want to," Bennett said. "Some people may do that, but it's not really a game we won." Countryside coach Randall Leath, a former University of Florida standout who is in his fifth season in Clearwater, was unavailable for comment Thursday.
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From today's Hernando Times |
