TAMPA — Junior forwards Amanda Melosky and Logan Seoane each scored 14, leading Wiregrass Ranch to a 51-39 win over Academy of the Holy Names in Saturday's title game of the Jaguar Holiday tournament.
The Bulls (19-1), who placed sixth at last year's event, foiled the Jaguars' bid for a second championship in three years. Wiregrass Ranch also defeated Holy Names by 29 points earlier this season.
Melosky was named the tournament's most valuable player with Seoane and teammate Stephanie Brower, a freshman guard, also making the all-tournament team.
"We have a very strong inside game," Wiregrass Ranch coach John Gant said. "(Melosky and Seoane are) both good athletes. They both have good footwork. They're good shooters."
Holy Names (11-6) got 14 points from Ashley McWilliams but struggled with its long-range shooting. A night after clutch 3-point shooting by Siobhan Lynch and Cristina Snyder keyed a semifinal win over Plant, the Jaguars were cold early on. They went 7-for-21 from 3-point range and missed their first eight attempts.
"Sometimes those nights happen," Holy Names coach Chris Severini said. "You live by it, you die by it. We just didn't make enough shots."
Noting that the margin of defeat was nearly cut in half in the second meeting with Wiregrass Ranch, Severini said, "We certainly got a lot better since then."
In the third-place game, Clearwater (18-1) rebounded from its only loss this season with a 49-29 win over Plant. Madison Rubino hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer and the Tornadoes blew the game open with a 13-0 scoring advantage in the third quarter.
"They came out with a mindset that we didn't do what we were supposed to do," Clearwater coach Paul Lang said, alluding to Friday's semifinal loss to Holy Names. "It was a great bounce-back win against a quality team."
Deja Blunt led three Clearwater players in double figures with 21 points. Alexandria Alford added 16 and Rubino 10.
Plant (10-10) got nine points apiece from Payton Paro and Anika Moffitt.
Aside from the three aforementioned Wiregrass Ranch players, the all-tournament team included Clearwater's Rubino along with Holy Names' Lynch and McWilliams.