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Highlands Today

Lee's 19 Points Lead Blue Streaks To First-Round Bye

Brian Gjurgevich/Highlands Today

Sebring’s Whitney Lee (left) and Chelsea Davis (right) wrestle for a loose ball on Friday night against Braden River.

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By Brian Gjurgevich | Highlands Today

Published: January 20, 2008

SEBRING — The Sebring girls basketball had to win Friday night to clinch the top seed in the upcoming Class 4A-District 10 tournament.

Think they knew?

The Blue Streaks held Braden River without a field goal for the first 10 minutes and got five 3-pointers from senior captain Whitney Lee en route to a 53-26 victory over the Pirates, a blowout win that clinched the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the district tourney, which tips off Jan. 28 at Booker High School in Sarasota.

"We came out ready to go," said Lee, who hit five of six from behind the arch and finished with a game-high 19 points. "We were being patient and our post players were finishing. After that loss to DeSoto, we knew we had to come out strong."

And did they ever.

The Streaks held the Pirates to just four free throws in the first quarter and carried a comfortable 24-13 lead into halftime. Any thoughts of a comeback were short-lived, as Sebring roared out of the locker room and outscored Braden River 17-7 in the third frame to take a 41-20 lead heading into the fourth.

Junior Hannah Shoop added eight points and seven rebounds for the Streaks, while Priscilla Adams and Whitney Wells each added six points.

"We wanted this one really bad," Shoop said. "Last time we played them (a Pirate victory), we came out slow, and we didn't want to do that again."

With the top seed in districts sealed, the Streaks won't have to travel to Sarasota more than twice, something coach Mike Lee said is a big plus. He noted the team needed to get re-focused after last week's loss to DeSoto, and before the game, there was little doubt where his team's collective thoughts were.

"They knew what was on the line, they knew what was at stake and they came out ready to play," coach Lee said. "We're pretty hard to beat when we come out with the type of energy and enthusiasm."

Braden River's Caitlyn Benedelto led the Pirates with 13 points, while Jasmine Baldwin added five. The Streaks also got seven rebounds from Adams and three steals and three assists from Whitney Lee.

"Our bench did a great job tonight," coach Lee said. "And when girls weren't in the game, they were on their feet cheering on their teammates, and that was encouraging to see.

"For us, it's not a question of whether we're talented enough, it's having that competitiveness and passion for the game we showed tonight."

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