St. Thomas Aquinas handled Ransom Everglades comfortably yesterday in the FHSAA Sweet 16 matchup at Brian Piccolo Stadium. And now the showdown looms on Thursday as the Raiders travel north to take on American Heritage-Delray in a game that marks the rematch of last year’s stunning takedown. I’ll certainly be there for that one, as should all fans of the Girls’ game . . . Last night ended up being more of a warm up as STA scored early and often and they were able to take Ransom star Erin Bakes out of rhythm, holding her to the only two goals that Ransom put up.  It looked like Bakes was also hindered by a knock she took midway through the first half but she was being double teamed at all turns and RE’s other players were not able to step up and help out offensively. 7 goals in the first 8 minutes put the game itself on notice, mostly from fast breaks that were finished by STA star Carly Steinlauf, with a huge supporting role from Jada Preston and Ellie Reigner.  The trio combined for SEVENTEEN of the 19 goals scored and they were able to take advantage of a sluggish RE defense that seemed to react slowly to filling space.  The score would have been a lost worse if not for the stellar goalie play of frosh Helaina Harris of RE, who came up with 11 first half saves, many within 5 yards of the goal . . . you’ll be hearing a LOT more from her the next three years. Incredibly, STA hit the cage with 33 of the 39 shot attempts for the game and that’s as efficient as it gets.  The Steinlauf/Preston duo was very effective in finding each other, very reminiscent of an STA Boys duo from last year . . . off-ball movement was very well timed and the behind the net play almost predatory in its’ effectiveness. Their ride turned the ball over a number of times and led to the fast breaks, as RE tallied 22 turnovers. The score was 12-2 at the half and didn’t get any better in the second half. Tuesday in Boca and Thursday in Delray . . . Raider Nation has a couple of field trips this week . . . I suspect they’ll be in attendance . . .   A thank you to all the Ransom seniors who are now off to their next stop in life and we all thank you for your efforts and wish you the best in the future!  And Erin, the entire lacrosse community down here will be watching you at USC, make Florida proud!   Team Statistics   Draws:  Ransom 13-11 Shots:  STA 39-11 Shots on Goal:  33-9 Turnovers:  22-11   Individual Statistics   STA Carly Steinlauf  7G/3A Jada Preston  6G/3A Ellie Reigner  4G/1A Kaitlyn Michaud  1G/2A Sophia Savaglio  1G Logan Tingley and Caroline Stefans  with 1A each (I missed a few assists) Morgan Lusk with 7 saves, many in close   RE Erin Bakes  2G Helaina Harris with 14 saves   Thanks to Coach Skonieczki and Coach Laskey for talking to me after the game