EAST MANATEE — Lennard fell to Braden River in the Class 4A region quarterfinal 25-12, 25-9, 25-14.

Braden River wasted little time Wednesday jumping on the Longhorns (8-9), taking a 14-3 lead in Game 1 and 14-4 lead in Game 2. Lennard rallied in the finale, taking a 9-8 lead, before the Pirates scored 17 of the game's final 22 points.

Braden River (22-6) didn't trail until Game 3.

"I was so nervous before this game," said Pirates junior Kaleigh Jaco, who finished with 10 kills and five blocks, "because we knew nothing about this team."

So the Pirates simply played their game.

"They were scrappy," Haugh said of the Longhorns. "They made us hit a whole bunch."

Braden River, however, had little trouble hitting — Lauren Powell had 12 kills and Courtney McDevitt added five, while Regina Aluise totaled 33 assists.

The Herald