TAMPA — Seffner Christian was looking past Thursday to a playoff game down the road, when its talent and depth wouldn’t be enough to cruise to victory.
For the state-ranked Crusaders, the Class 3A, District 8 tournament is something of a formality.
Tesha Hanson scored 21 and Peyton Walker added 18 to lead Seffner Christian to a methodical 62-9 win over Carrollwood Day in their 3A-8 semifinal.
To keep the outcome from becoming more lopsided, officials went to a running clock in the second half and Crusaders coach Greg Fawbush made his players adhere to a set of rules on offense.
“We couldn’t shoot until someone caught the ball in the paint,” Fawbush said. “And then the person who caught it couldn’t score; they had to pass. Everything tonight was controlled for a specific purpose.”
Seffner Christian, which has won its district games by an average of 58 points, has had to develop these sorts of challenges within its games to remain sharp for tougher opponents. Only one 3A-8 team has managed to crack double figures against the Crusaders (24-2) this season: Tampa Prep, their opponent in the district final tonight.
In the other half of the bracket, the second-seeded Terrapins defeated Bishop McLaughlin 45-22.