Barron gets revenge against Dillard, 62-48

The Barron Collier High girls basketball team became close, personal friends with the running clock this season. Close games were few and far between, so it was a new experience when Fort Lauderdale-Dillard started with a deliberate, grind-it-out game to the Cougar Den on Thursday night.

It turned out the Cougars can win those types of games, too.

Even with standout senior Courtney Jacob sitting out long stretches with foul trouble, the Cougars bumped and bruised their way to a 62-48 win over Dillard in the Class 5A Region 4 quarterfinals. It was a bit of revenge for the last two seasons, as Dillard knocked Barron out in the regional semis before winning the Class 5A state title in both 2004 and 2005.

The backbreaker came with 5:45 left in the game, when senior Kasey Will stepped out and drilled a 3-pointer. That put Barron’s lead at 12 points.

The Panthers cut it as close as seven points, but couldn’t get any closer.

Sophomore center Kelsey Assarian, who scored a game-high 15 points, said it was one of the most intense games she’s played.

“It was crazy,” Assarian said.

“My mouth is dry. I was so nervous, but I knew we could pull together as a team.”

The Cougars (27-2) play Sebastian River on Tuesday.

While taking things slow worked for the Panthers (16-10), coach Marcia Pinder said that was the last strategy she wanted to use.

“We wanted to play our style,” she said. “We wanted to play a fast-paced running game.”

And that, Barron coach Mike Hamburger said, was what the Cougars were expecting.

“We went and scouted them last week,” he said, “and their quickness was unbelievable. I knew they were young, but you still had to give them their due.”

The first half was high-intensity, if not high scoring. Barron Collier jumped out to an early 7-0 lead using pressure defense and quick hands. But after scoring seven points in the first two minutes, the Cougars scored only two in the next six. That drought allowed Dillard to pull back into the game.

The Panthers took the lead with 6:21 left in the half, when senior Shandrea Moore hit a 3-pointer to put Dillard up 13-11.

Barron would reclaim the lead, but Dillard always remained close thanks to its free throw shooting.

The Panthers hit 13 of 19 free throws in the first half, compared to Barron’s 5-for-8 performance.

In the second period alone, Dillard sank 11 of 15 free throws.

The Cougars put the Panthers in the bonus and were without Jacob for the half’s last six minutes, as she was forced to sit with three fouls.

Dillard’s refuge on the foul line disappeared in the second half.

The Panthers took just seven free throws in the third and fourth quarters, while the Cougars attempted 17 foul shots in the game’s last 3½ minutes.

Again in the second half, Barron was without Jacob for long stretches due to foul trouble, but the Cougars still managed to extend their lead.

Hamburger said that was a testament to the Cougars’ bench strength.

“Of the 29 games we’ve played, everyone has played in about 27 of them,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of people all season and our bench was great tonight.”

BARRON COLLIER: 62 -- DILLARD: 48

DILLARD (48)

Thornton 1 0-1 2, Alexander 0 2-4 2, Moore 3 5-6 13, Williams 2 1-4 6, Smith 2 5-9 9, Lacue 2 2-2 7, Corbin 1 0-0 2, Regins 3 1-2 7, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 16-28 48

BARRON COLLIER (62)

Naretta 0 1-2 1, Benson 1 0-0 2, Jacob 1 3-4 5, Stice 2 0-0 4, Johnson 1 10-14 13, K. Gatz 3 0-1 6, Zampell 2 1-2 6, Assarian 7 1-2 15, Will 4 1-2 10, Totals 21 17-27 62

Dillard: 6 - 21 - 7 - 14 — 48

Barron Collier: 9 - 19 - 14 - 20 — 62

3-point goals – BC: Johnson, Zampell, Will, D: Moore 2, Williams, Lacue. Total Fouls – BC: 18, D: 24. Fouled out – none. Technicals – none