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Highlands Today

Red Devils Pound Palmetto

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Avon Park's Beonca Godfrey scored a game-high 15 points against district foe Palmetto on Thursday.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: November 22, 2008

AVON PARK - If Tuesday's game against Sebring was a statement to their arch-rivals, then Avon Park sent a clear message to the rest of the district after pummeling Palmetto on Thursday.

The Red Devils seemed to still be riding high from their victory over the Streaks, as the team scored in just about every way imaginable while building a 30-point second-half lead before dispatching the Tigers 53-33 in a Class 4A-District 10 match-up.

"We have the talent and the experience to be the best team in our district," said AP senior Daija Barrett. "We're expecting no less than a district title, and I think we sent a clear message tonight to all the teams that we're for real.

"We weren't taking this team lightly after the game they gave us in our gym last year."

Last season, Avon Park had to rally in the final seconds to beat Palmetto 46-45.

Barrett - who scored 12 points and pulled down eight rebounds - and her teammates made sure the game wasn't going to come down to the final seconds with a stifling defense that forced turnovers and pushed Palmetto into bad shots.

But it was the slashing style of point guard Beonca Godfrey that left the Palmetto defenders standing still.

"I started off slow tonight and made some dumb errors, but once I settled down I was able to come out and play my game," Godfrey said.

The AP senior used her quickness to split the Tiger's defense for an easy basket: She finished with a team-high 15 points and four steals and three assists in the key district win.

"We started slow tonight, but once we got back into our rhythm we were fine," said AP head coach Paulette Daley. "Our defense played with a great intensity like they did against Sebring."

Daley was also pleased with how her team shared the basketball and found the open shooter for easy baskets.

"We've got a lot of shooters on this team and it's always nice to see a well-balanced scoring output," Daley said. "We play transition basketball which begins at the defensive end and it's good to know that all five players on the floor can knock down a key basket when called upon."

The Red Devils were stymied by poor passes and countless turnovers early, but it was AP's defense that held serve and didn't let Palmetto take advantage of the mistakes, as the home team held a one-point lead after the first quarter.

Avon Park's defense stepped up the pressure in the second, as the Red Devils outscored the Tigers 15-2. Barrett scored five points during the run to take a 23-12 lead into the locker room at half.

"Palmetto kept us moving and pressured us in that first quarter that led to way too many turnovers," Barrett said. "I knew we had to be more aggressive and just execute, which led to us taking over the game."

Senior Jam'ee Hawthorne was hot from beyond the arc, as she knocked down a trio of 3-pointers before finishing with 13 points, four assists and five steals that helped the Red Devils build their first half lead.

Palmetto's "box-and-one" defense was designed to deny the ball to Avon Park's forwards, but Hawthorne made the Tigers pay by hitting her shots from the perimeter.

"Jam'ee is our stallion on the court," Daley said. "She is the one that really sets the tone for us on the defensive end and tonight she was hot early and ignited our offense."

After outscoring Palmetto 10-4 in the third and holding a 42-18 advantage, the Red Devils put the game even farther out of reach by scoring the first seven points of the fourth to cruise to the district win.

"I'm really happy the way we've been playing, even though this is only our second game," Godfrey said. "We're hitting our midseason form right from the opening game and we want to keep improving toward our goal of a district title."

Avon Park is back on the court Monday when they travel to face Okeechobee. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5837 or choffman@highlandstoday.com

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