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Red Devils Avoid Upset

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Avon Park’s Beonca Godfrey drives past DeSoto’s Anreka Bristol during the third quarter of the Red Devils' 49-44 victory over the Bulldogs in the Class 4A-District tournament on Tuesday.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: January 31, 2008

SARASOTA — Beonca Godfrey felt the Avon Park girls basketball team had the momentum and a big enough lead heading into the fourth quarter against DeSoto on Tuesday during the opening round of the Class 4A-District 10 tournament.

"I really thought we were controlling the tempo and had everything working going into the fourth," Godfrey said. "[DeSoto] just never quit."

The Red Devils watched a 13-point second-half lead dwindle down to just four points in the final seconds, but Godfrey sank a key free throw and lifted Avon Park to a 49-44 victory over DeSoto.

With the win, AP moves on to face No. 2 seed Booker in the district semifinals at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

"They took us out of our game in the second half," Godfrey said. "They made our guards give up the ball early and take away our lanes to the basket."

That strategy forced No. 3-seeded Avon Park to find players down low, but errant passes led to numerous turnovers by the Red Devils and more scoring chances for the No. 6-seeded Bulldogs.

"DeSoto really concentrated on Beonca and we didn't do a good enough job getting the ball into the post," said AP head coach Paulette Daley. "We have a tendency to let up when we have a big lead. We just made too many errors in that second half and should have won by more than we did.

"Errors are a cloud that hangs over everything we try to do on the court."

Early on in the game, Godfrey and point guard Markida Hawthorne got to the basket with regularity, slashing down the lane for the easy basket or drawing the foul, to build a nine-point lead at the half.

Godfrey continued her pace to start the second half, scoring Avon Park's first six points of the third and building a 30-17 lead before the Bulldogs made their adjustments.

"They switched to a 2-3 zone and really pressed our guards," said AP junior Daija Barrett. "Our offense stalled for a bit in that quarter until we made our adjustments."

Barrett was strong on the offensive glass, hauling in three key rebounds that led to five straight points to end the quarter and keep Avon Park's lead at 10 heading into the final stanza.

DeSoto's offensive barrage chipped away at the Red Devil lead, with the lead at 12 with under four minutes to play, when Anreka Bristol and Felencia Hatcher took over the game, scoring all but two of the Bulldogs points during a 10-2 run that nearly sent Avon Park home early from the tournament.

Godfrey knows the Red Devils have to play a much better game if they're to reach their goal of a district title.

"We just have to keep running and passing the ball to get good shots," Godfrey said. "We as a team — myself included — have to do a better job of protecting the ball."

Daley shakes her head in disbelief when asked about the fourth quarter, but offers some solutions for her squad.

"This team has the talent right now to win the district title," Daley said. "They just have to believe they can do it and stop playing lazy at times. Those mistakes have to end now."

Both Avon Park and Sebring play in the district semifinals on Friday. Top-seeded Sebring takes on No. 4 seed Palmetto at 6 p.m., followed by Avon Park's meeting with host Booker at 7:30 p.m.

For complete coverage, see highlandstoday.com/sports and Sunday's Highlands Today.

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