• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
    • Featured Video
    • Foodie Friday
    • Monthly ReCap
  • Online E-Editions
    • This Week’s E-Editions
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

       

Click to join our weekly e-newsletter

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
    • Reasons To Smile
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Sponsored Content
    • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits
  • Public Notices
    • Browse Notices
    • Place Notices

Steinbrenner clinches first district title, playoff berth

February 8, 2012 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Jeff Odom

Laker/Lutz News Correspondent

When the final buzzer sounded, Steinbrenner girls basketball coach J.R. Allen raised his arms into the air as his team ran to celebrate at half court.

Steinbrenner freshman center Rachel Briere puts up a layup against Chamberlain in the district semifinals on Feb. 1.

“I’ve been telling these girls back since September, I want to be part of something that’s called forever,” Allen said. “At the end of that game, I told those girls to celebrate and to point up to that banner and say ‘forever’.”

The No. 1 seeded Warriors overcame a lackluster third quarter, but came through late to defeat the No. 2 Patriots 51-39 on Feb. 3 for the Class 7A-District 9 championship, the program’s first.

Allen said the resilience and effort his team brought was some of the best he has seen all season, and it started with the mentality of playing as a team.

“It’s special because of the way we did it,” Allen said. He then added, “The special thing about this team is the word team itself. Every win lately has been a team win. It just feels so special. … This championship was won by 14 girls who practice their tails off every day.”

The Warriors (22-2) opened the game with a 12-0 run; stopping all of Freedom’s scoring opportunities.

“You can’t start out like that,” said Patriots coach Laurie Pacholke. “In a district championship game you got to come to play, especially on their court. … We got outplayed, we got out hustled, we got out rebounded and you’re not going to win a game like that.”

Guard Bailey Hooker led Steinbrenner’s early charge, scoring 13 of her squad’s points to lead 14-3 after the first quarter. She hit three shots from 3-point land in the opening half.

“It was awesome,” said Hooker, who had a team-high 16 points and five blocks. “Coming off of the past couple of games I’ve been off a little bit on my shooting, so to come out and make that three, I knew that tonight was my night.”

Freedom senior guard Shadé Williams scored a team-high 17 points in a win over Wiregrass Ranch in the district semis.

Patriots (18-9) guard Taylor Emery, who had a game-high 20 points, kept her team in it, working through the Warriors’ defense to start the momentum swing headed into halftime but still trailed 31-14.

Freedom chipped away at Steinbrenner’s lead in the third quarter, which got as small as eight before Allen told his team to keep its focus.

“I was really concerned, because it could have been a bad thing based off of what we did in that last game (against Chamberlain),” Allen said. He then added, “We turned around and made the most of it.”

In the fourth quarter with Steinbrenner leading by 11, Hooker delivered the final blow with her fourth 3-pointer of the game with just more than a minute left.

“She just stroked that three and I think that was an emotional lift that helped us carry to the end of the game,” Allen said.

The Warriors found themselves in a tight semifinals battle on Feb. 1 with Chamberlain, which beat Gaither the night before. The Chiefs (8-12) outscored Steinbrenner 31-24 in the second half and got as close as 52-48 before the tournament host pulled away to win 56-48.

Hooker had 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Rebecca Cohen and Gabby Sebastian recorded nine rebounds apiece and Rachel Briere blocked five shots.

Freedom defeated Wiregrass Ranch 54-46 in the other semifinals. Guard Shadé Williams led the Patriots with 17 points, while Emery added 11

Bulls (20-8) senior guard Kelly McCaffrey had a team-high 23 points to finish with 1,575 for her career.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Print

Like this:

Like Loading...

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Sponsored Content

New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

Exciting things are happening at Del Webb Bexley, the 55+ active adult residential community just off Sunlake Boulevard, … [Read More...] about New Community Garden Arrives at Del Webb Bexley 

TPA-Parkview-Myrtle

Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

March 28, 2023 By Kelli Carmack

With every new home community, Mattamy Homes demonstrates their dedication to thoughtful details and meaningful value … [Read More...] about Imagine More at Mattamy Homes’ Area Communities

More Posts from this Category

What’s Happening

03/29/2023 – Adult Tabletop Games

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host an Adult Tabletop Game Night on March 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., for ages 18 and older. Games will include: big Jenga, life-sized connect four, dominoes, playing cards, assorted board games, and more. For information, call 727-815-7126. … [Read More...] about 03/29/2023 – Adult Tabletop Games

03/30/2023 – Watercolor painting

The Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center, 12118 Lake Blanche Drive in Odessa, will host “Tween Hangout: Watercolor Painting” on March 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., for free after-school painting in the courtyard. For information, call 727-815-7126. … [Read More...] about 03/30/2023 – Watercolor painting

04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

The Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, will host a Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza on April 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be bounce houses, games, music, food trucks, and scheduled egg scrambles. The event will be at the outside football fields and basketball court. Registration is required to participate in the egg scrambles. The cost is $3 per child. Children ages 2 to 10 can register with their age division and time frame at Secure.rec1.com/FL/pasco-county-fl/catalog. For questions, call 813-929-1220. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Bunny Hop Eggstravaganza

04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

Kessler’s Cacti and Things will host its annual Spring Plant Sale on April 1 and April 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, at Bearss Grove, 14316 Lake Magdalene Blvd., in Tampa. The event features thousands of plant varieties, and an assortment of specimen and collector’s plants. For information, email . For questions and directions, call 813-264-5614. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Cacti and Things

04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

The Downtown Dade City Art Walk will take place April 1 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be more than 20 art locations for guests to meet the artists and shop local artwork, as well as a little Pre-Casso Exhibit for young aspiring artists. There will be an opening ceremony at 5 p.m., along with a map distribution, at Florida Cracker Lunch on Limoges. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Dade City Art Walk

04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

Hope City Church, 5513 School Road in Land O’ Lakes, will host an Easter Bash on April 1, for the whole family. Admission is free. For information, call 813-948-7555. … [Read More...] about 04/01/2023 – Easter Bash

More of What's Happening

Archives

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Copyright © 2023 Community News Publications Inc.

   
%d bloggers like this: