Panthers prevail in overtime

TAMPA — A Seffner Christian basketball player was double-teamed at half court with nowhere to throw the basketball. Bradenton Christian senior forward Liz Capps felt the Crusaders player was going to throw the ball to first teammate she could find. That teammate was the one Capps was guarding.

So, with the Panthers trailing by a point, with a minute to play in overtime and the district championship at stake, Capps interception the pass and converted a layup, giving the Panthers the lead.

BCS held on to win 57-55 in overtime in the Class 1A-District 8 title game at Citrus Park Christian.

“I saw her pick up the ball, and usually when they pick up the ball, they are looking to pass,” said Capps, who finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds. “I was down low, but I saw where her eyes went, so I thought I would go for it. And I got there in time. That was nice.”

The Panthers (24-3) won their first district title in five seasons. With the win, BCS hosts the runner-up of District 7 at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The pesky Crusaders kept BCS on its heels most of the game. SCS (18-8) penetrated the Panthers’ D for easy baskets. And when BCS’ defense collapsed, the Crusaders hit shots from the perimeter, hitting seven 3-pointers.

Arielle Jadlowski led SCS with 17 points, and Sabrina Whiting added 14.

The Panthers trailed by six with four minutes remaining in regulation, but they refused to go away. Hailey Dearlove’s layup with 10 seconds left forced overtime. In the extra period, the Panthers used a 6-0 scoring spurt, which included Capps’ clutch basket, and four points from Maria DeKuiper, who played with bronchitis, to arm BCS with a 56-53 lead. DeKuiper led the Panthers with 23 points, 12 boards and two steals.

“In the third quarter, I didn’t get to play much, and it was really tense. I was frustrated,” said the junior forward. “It was killing me to sit on the bench. I really wanted to play in that overtime, because we really needed the confidence out there, and we needed more experience out there.”

BCS must improve its shooting if the Panthers want to make a deep run in the playoffs after shooting 20-of-74 from the field and 12-of-25 from the free throw line. But the Panthers are more than happy to escape with the district title in hand.

“We really had to work hard (Saturday),” BCS coach Jim Van Til said. “We didn’t shoot well, and (the Crusaders) shot really well, and our free throws weren’t as good as they usually are, but we made a few key ones at the end.”

, so they were important. This is a good feeling. It’s been a while since we’ve won one.”