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Streaks Run Past Dragons

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By BRIAN GJURGEVICH Highlands Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 8, 2009

SEBRING - Did Blue Streak boys basketball coach Princeton Harris notice anything different about Lake Placid this time around?

"They've gotten better," Harris said after his team fell behind early but turned up the pressure to knock off their cross-county rivals 81-62 on senior night in Blue Streak gym. "I don't know if our guys took them for granted, but we didn't do some things early and it got us in trouble."
Lake Placid coach David Veley also noticed something different about Sebring: Despite his team's lopsided loss on the scoreboard, he felt like his Dragons earned a bit of respect from the Streaks.

"They pressed until the last second, and that made me feel good," Veley said, noting the Streaks dropped back into zone when the game got out of hand during the teams' previous meeting. "Usually, you don't like that, but tonight I did."
Joe Young led the Streaks with 23 points, including a stretch late in the first period where he scored nine straight.

"I felt like I was on and I had confidence in my shot, so I took it," Young said. "But Lake Placid hustled big time. We thought we were going to come out and beat them like we did last time, but they came out hustling and played hard."

Lake Placid's Andre Wilson led all scorers with 26 points, including 18 in the first half.

He said his team slacked a few times on defense, but that a few of their runs showed signs of what the Dragons can accomplish in next week's district tourney.

"If we can get out and run and not have as many turnovers, we'll be OK," Wilson said. "We need to take care of the ball."

LP scored the first six points of the game and kept an all-senior Sebring starting lineup off-balance and on guard by hitting 9-of-13 shots from the field in the opening quarter. But Young came off the bench and boosted the Streaks, who trailed 20-19 after the first period.

That's when Sebring's defense took over, forcing 10 Green Dragon turnovers in the second quarter and building a 43-33 lead at the half behind two 3-point bombs by sophomore Devin Clarke.
Sebring forward Tevin Toney, who finished with 14 points, said the Streaks didn't have enough intensity on defense in the first half.

"We know we have it, but we just weren't playing as well as we can," Toney said. "We have to come out here ready to play and be ready to prove ourselves."
Sebring opened up the third with four quick buckets, but LP's defense stepped up and forced seven Sebring turnovers in the period and got the game within seven points at 56-49 heading into the fourth.

But Sebring poured in 25 points in the fourth and cruised to the win, while perhaps picking up a bit of momentum heading into their Tuesday meeting with Booker in the opening round of the Class 4A-District 10 tournament.

"This team is talented, but it's up to them now," Harris said. "Coaches can't do anything else. We've brought them to the river, now it's time for them to drink their own water."

Veley said his team will use four days of practice to get ready to Mulberry, who they'll meet in the 3A-D10 tournament on Friday.

"We had a good effort and I think we had Sebring on the ropes a few times," Veley said. "They're starting to see how it works and they're getting more comfortable.

"We have four days of practice, and that will be good for us."

NOTES: Sebring finished with five players in double-figures, including 11 points each from Chris Grubb and Clarke and 10 points from Robert "Jewel" Campbell ... Trevalier Sholtz finished with 10 points, while Avery Young added nine points and Kirk Veley added seven. Sebring meets Booker at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at DeSoto High School in Arcadia ... The Dragons' match with Mulberry (who beat LP twice this season by a combined four points) will tip off at 6 p.m. on Friday at McKeel Academy in Lakeland.

Brian Gjurgevich can be reached at 863-386-5841 or bgjurgevich@highlandstoday.com.

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