E.A. Sports Today

Golden at Silver Lakes

Huntsville’s Nicastro leads her team to White Plains Girls Invitational title with 4-under 68

By East Alabama Sports Today

SILVER LAKES – Gabi Nicastro signed for the low round of the day, but didn’t stick around for the spoils. She had a lesson to make.

The Huntsville sophomore shot a 4-under-par 68 Thursday to win low medalist to the second time this week and lead the Lady Panthers to the White Plains Girls Invitational at Silver Lakes and then hustled back to the Rocket City for a lesson to make her game better.

“Her parents almost have to drag her off the course,” Huntsville assistant coach John Barnes said. “She’s at the golf course pretty much every day, usually out there until about dark.

“She has a great attitude, loves to play golf, loves to practice, loves to get better and we’ve kind of seen that the last couple years she’s been on the team. Every year she’s gotten better.”

Nicastro made five birdies and a bogey and won by four shots over Ella Howard of Gadsden City. Alexandria’s Emma Ray was third (77), White Plains’ Baylie Webb fourth (78) and Huntsville’s Ava Schwartz fifth (79).

The Lady Panthers put all three of their counters in the top six and shot 11-over 227 for their fourth tournament win of the season. They won by 24 shots over runner-up White Plains. Alexandria was third.

Nicastro was 5-under through 14 holes, then bogeyed the par-5 Heartbreaker 7. She still posted her career best score, beating the 69 she shot at Canebrake on Monday. Last year she played No. 3 for the Lady Panthers, playing behind two seniors who went on to play college golf at Belmont and Birmingham Southern.

“The last couple weeks she’s really played very well,” Barnes said. “I asked her today if she was having fun and she said I always have fun playing golf.”

Howard turned in 32 after making four straight birdies (Mindbreaker 6-7-8-9), but had two bogeys and a double on 18 coming home.

Ray turned in 42, but rallied with three birdies on the Heartbreaker nine. Webb’s round was highlighted by an eagle-2 on Mindbreaker No. 6, holing out a 54-degree wedge from 65 yards.

WHITE PLAINS GIRLS INVITATIONAL
At Silver Lakes
Team scores
Huntsville +11 (227)
White Plains +35
Alexandria +42
Fairview +52
Westminster Christian +74
Westbrook Christian +87
Oneonta +102
Randolph +104
Weaver +139

Individual Top 10
Gabi Nicastro, Huntsville 34-34—68
Ella Howard, Gadsden City 32-40—72
Emma Ray, Alexandria 42-35—77
Baylie Webb, White Plains 38-40—78
Ava Schwartz, Huntsville 39-40—79
Megan Grosnick, Huntsville 41-39—80
Lauren Lawson, Fairview 40-41—81
Savannah Sandlin, Oneonta 41-41—82
Isabel Rogers, White Plains 37-46—83
Lucia Perez, Westminster Christian 42-42—84

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