The SSES girls basketball team’s historic season came to a close in the Class 3A State Final Four on Wednesday night (Feb. 26) with a 67-30 loss to Carrollwood Day School at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. The Falcons finished their record-setting campaign at 26-5 and smashed nearly every single-season mark in the school’s record book. Their 26 wins bested the previous high of 16 set by the 1983-84 and 1984-85 teams. The Falcons won their first district championship in 36 years (vs. Cardinal Mooney) and their first regional title ever (vs. North Port Imagine) to advance to the Final Four. A slew of team and individual records also fell during Head Coach David Gaulman’s first year on the sideline. Sophomore guard Jamie Springstead established a best for points in a season with 493 (a team-leading 15.9 per game). The Falcons also scored at a clip of 51.8 per game. No Saint Stephen’s team had previously recorded a scoring average better than 43.5 ppg. Records for points in a game (84), points in a season (1,609), winning percentage (84%), and margin of victory (22.2 ppg.) also fell. The team returns all but one starter next season.