Lady Bucks fall in regional semifinals

By Christy Cabrera Chirinos, Sun-Sentinal Sports

Feb. 7, 2013

Pembroke Pines - There were a few times Deerfield Beach managed to come close.

But everytime that happened, Flanagan turned up the defensive pressure and put an end to the threat. The Falcons proved too strong, too fast and too athletic, earning a 63-43 victory over the Bucks in the Class 8A regional quarterfinal girls basketball game on Thursday night.

    The win means Flanagan (21-3) advances to next week's regional semifinals where it will host a familiar opponent - District 12-8A rival Miramar, which advanced with a 48-40 win over Douglas.

   The Patriots and Falcons have met three times this season, with Flanagan winning two of the three matchups, all of which were decided by five point or less. But before a potential matchup with the Patriots, the Falcons had to get past Deerfield (14-6).

   While a 9-3 Deerfield run at the end of the second quarter helped the Bucks pull within 27-25 at the half, things shifted midway through the third quarter. The Falcons went to their pressure defense and forced Deerfield into multiple turnovers. Those turnovers led to points for the Falcons, who distanced themselves with an 11-5 run that included steals and baskets in transition on three straight possessions.

   "We saw they only had two players handling the ball and then we forced them to make some bad passes," said Falcons senior Laura Morency, who finished with 18 points. We have a lot of speed on this team, so we're used to playing that way. This is really big for us."

   Morency was one of three Falcons to finish in double figures. Junir Stephania Oramas had a game-high 21 points and Patricia Albano added 15 points. Brinesha Powell had 20 points to lead the Bucks.