By Andy Warrener
Itâs still another week before district basketball tournaments heat up for area teams, but any suspense about who might be the Class 7A, District 8 top seed was quickly quashed coming out of Christmas break.
Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) opened the new year with consecutive victories over what was expected to be its stiffest competition â Freedom, Plant and Steinbrenner — to clinch the top seed for the 7A-8 tournament starting Jan. 26 at Plant. WRH, now 20-2 on the season heading into tonight’s game at Tampa Catholic, will play Leto in the quarterfinals.
The day before, the WRH girls completed the regular season sweep of secondÂ-seeded Plant, doing so with star player Trakyra Kidd in foul trouble. Kidd got into foul trouble in the first half, and had to sit out for much of the second.
Without Kidd, the Bulls ended the third period on a 6-Â0 run. When Kidd returned in the fourth, the Bulls put Plant away 63Â-50.
“That win was a big moment for us moving forward,” WRH head coach John Gant said. “It was concrete that we saw when she (Kidd) wasn’t on the floor that we were not going to fold our tent, that we can play and play well without her.”
The Bulls and Kidd would follow up that performance the next night on the road against the Patriots. While Freedom kept the game close through the third period, Kidd went off in the fourth, scoring 12 of her 24 points and hitting all six of her free throws, making her 10-Âfor-Â10 from the charity stripe on the night. The Bulls prevailed 49-Â43 and clinched the top spot in 7A-8, and two days beat Steinbrenner 54-42.
The Bulls host Sickles Friday in a 7A-8 contest.
Gant and Kidd lead one of the better girls basketball teams in the area. The Bulls have dropped only two games this season — a two-point loss to Seffner Christian in the season opener and a oneÂ-point loss to Palm Beach Gardens at the Florida Prospects Tournament in Orlando.
Three points are all that separates the Bulls from an unblemished record. Kidd has been a driving force in that endeavor.
“She has a mentality that she will not be stopped,” Gant said. “She has a nose for the goal and when you have lightning quickness and someone tries to stop you, it’s very difficult.
“She is one of the top two athletes in the area. This season, her maturity and her basketball intelligence have combined extremely well. She’s a coach’s dream. She makes me look good when the ball’s in her hands.”
Kidd is averaging just over 16.1 points per game, after scoring 9.8 last year. She also averages 6.4 rebounds, 5.5 steals and 4.3 assists a game.
Kidd has lots of help from a well-balanced WRH team.
Junior forward Stephanie Brower, who is averaging 10.7 points and 8.8 rebounds a game, is one of the team’s most potent inside threats.
“She (Brower) is the secondÂ-best athlete on the team and plays tremendous defense,” Gant said. “She has great basketball intelligence and she’s one of the key leaders when TK (Kidd) is out.”
Junior guard Melissa Gordon is the team’s deep threat. Gordon has nailed 29 of the team’s 41 three-Âpointers this season and presents a great second option to Kidd.
“She (Gordon) has been hitting key shots for us this year,” Gant said. “She’s very difficult to guard.”
Sophomore guard Alexis Boldon and junior forward Nicole Carey are additional threats.
“Boldon has that wiry, won’t Âquit attitude,â Gant says. âShe’s one that always has the motor running and can help handle the ballâŠand she plays well inside.”
Junior guard Brooke Preiser comes off the bench and averages more than four points a game. Senior forward Alima James adds some more force inside with rebounding and blocked shots.
As the district playoffs loom, the Bulls have an extra layer of confidence knowing they can keep the train on the rails even without Kidd.
“The Plant game made me happy because I could see that even if I get in foul trouble, we’ll be more confident knowing the team can handle it,” Kidd said.
