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Avon Park Showcases Untamed Hustle

CHRIS HOFFMAN/HIGHLANDS TODAY

Avon Park freshman Markida Hawthorne dishes the ball during Tuesday's Class 4A-District 10 win over Braden River.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: November 15, 2007

AVON PARK –– Impact freshmen are hard to come by in sports. Freshmen normally take time to mature, as they take their lumps at the junior varsity level. But occasionally, you'll find exceptions to the rule.

Freshman point guard Markida Hawthorne played with the poise and confidence of a senior, scoring 12 points and dishing out countless assists, as the Avon Park Red Devils pummelled the Braden River Pirates 69-46 in a Class 4A-District 10 match-up in the season opener on Tuesday.

"She [Markida] really sparked our offense off the bench," AP head coach Paulette Daley said. "She has great ball handling and I like her aggressiveness. Her play enables me to use girls in different spots."

Jamee Hawthorne, sister of Markida, was the beneficiary of numerous passes from her sibling, scoring a team-high 17 points, including a pair of 3-pointers against the Pirates.

Leading 18-7 after the first quarter, Avon Park tightened up the noose around the offensive neck of Braden River, allowing just five points and building a 31-12 halftime lead.

Sloppy play and a dash of overcondidence by the Red Devils saw Braden River cut the lead down to 13 moments into the second half, prompting Daley to demand more hustle from her players.

"I thought we lacked focus after half time," Daley said. "Our execution was sloppy and I felt we needed a lot more rebounding.

"If you know what your team can do, you expect more."

Senior Daija Barrett, who scored 10 points in the game, was pleased with the outcome and of her new teammate's play.

"I thought it was important that we come into this season with a positive attitude," Barrett said. "We have a much better chemistry and we are learning to play as one.

"She [Markida] was very focused tonight and I thought she stepped in and played very well. Most freshmen crumble when they play at the varsity level, but she adjusted to the tempo well and she's only going to get better."

Johnequa Perry scored 10 points, while guard Beona Godfrey chipped in eight points for the Red Devils.

Palmetto 38, Sebring 30

PALMETTO –– The Sebring Blue Streak girls basketball team were upset on Tuesday night, losing their first regular season game in three years against the Palmetto Tigers in a Class 4A-District 10 match-up.

The Tigers used a "box and 1" defensive scheme to deny Sebring's Whitney Lee the ball, and compounded with a cold shooting night by the Blue Streaks, who shot 38 percent from the floor, attributed to the loss.

"We got a lot of good looks at the basket, but we just couldn't get them to fall," Sebring head coach Mike Lee said. "I'm taking nothing away from Palmetto, who played a great game against us. They played hard and were very aggressive."

The loss drops Sebring to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the district.

Forward Hannah Shoop led the Blue Streaks with 12 points, while Lee was held to just six points for the game.

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