Eckerd Overpowers Florida Tech in SSC Championship

Tereza Sedlakova - Photo credit: James Ragan Photography

The Eckerd Tritons (26-4) showed why they are the number one team in the Sunshine State Conference and number one in the South Region, as they took down the Florida Tech Panthers 77-56 in Sunday’s SSC title game.

The Panthers (15-14) were a game bunch to say the least, but they were outscored 24-8 in the second quarter and the uphill climb from a 40-26 halftime deficit, just proved to be more than they could handle.

Tereza Sedlakova led Florida Tech with 15 points, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field including one three pointer. She also pulled down eight rebounds. DeLise Williams finished with 14 points, six rebounds, one block and four steals.

DeLise Williams - Photo credit: - James Ragan Photography
Florida Tech trailed by as many as six, 16-10 in the first quarter, but hoops by Williams, Sedlakova and two free-throws and a shot at the buzzer by Michaela Gelbaugh, helped the Panthers finish the quarter on an 8-0 run and lead 18-16.

“Florida Tech is always one of those tough, really aggressive teams,” said Eckerd head coach Paul Honsinger. “They’re hard to stop at times because they start pounding it inside,”

All that momentum went away quickly, as the Tritons came out on fire to start the second quarter. They went on a 14-0 run helped by three pointers from Chelsea Johnson and tournament MVP Ada Yalcin, whose three-ball made it 28-18, with 4:16 to go. 

Ashley Folsom would add a bucket, before Gudlau Juliusdottir hit a jumper with 2:59 to go, giving the Panthers their first points of the quarter.

Juliusdottir would make a free-throw and immediately get a steal, making it 30-23, but the Tritons regained control and had a 40-26 lead heading to the locker room.

The fight never left the Panthers, who made a dent in the deficit with a 16 point third quarter, which included a 10-1 run. Senior Julie McCarthy, who had eight points in the game, got six of them in that quarter, to go with her one block in the stanza.

“They started to turn the tables there in the third quarter, outscored us 16-10,” Honsinger said. “They made that good push. Tech is very well coached and John Reynolds does a great job and his teams are really tough and really aggressive, he continued. I don’t think they let down tonight, I just thing we had a very good game.”

The Tritons hit five threes’ in the fourth quarter and kept the Panthers at a safe distance throughout, outscoring them 27-14 in the final 10 minutes.

For more info: Florida Tech @ Eckerd Tritons Box Score (SSC Championship)

Congratulations to Julie McCarthy and DeLise Williams on being selected to the SSC tournament team and congratulations to the Panthers on winning five of their last six games, allowing them to get to the title game.


**All quotes courtesy of the Sunshine State Conference, during live post-game press conference. 

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