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Blue Streaks Run Past Red Devils

Mark Pinson/Highlands Today

Sebring's Nate Orozco drives past Avon Park's Xavier Caldwell during the first quarter of Saturday night's district game.

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By MARK PINSON

Highlands Today

Published: January 19, 2009

SEBRING - With senior starting point guard Chris Grubb out with a wrist injury, Nate Orozco filled in admirably with 14 points and six assists and forward Joe Young scored a team-high 19 points to lead Sebring to a 75-64 win over Avon Park in boys basketball on Saturday night.

Grubb injured his wrist last week against DeSoto and is out for an undetermined amount of time, but Orozco handled the ball well and made good decisions against the Red Devils' pressure defense.

"Chris is out for a while and Nate stepped up and did a great job of handling the ball and running our offense," said Sebring coach Princeton Harris. "It's time for guys to step up their play and we're coming along.

"I loved the intensity we played with and we wanted to control the tempo of the game and we were able to do that in the second half and that was big for us."

The Class 4A-District 10 win improved the Blue Streaks to 10-7, 3-3 while the loss dropped Avon Park, which had 20 turnovers, to 3-3 in district play.

"Turnovers and missed free throws hurt us," said Red Devil coach Luther Clemons. "We came out a little flat, made a bunch of turnovers and you can't do that on the road and expect to win.

"We just lose our focus sometimes and we can't afford to do that."

Neither team shot well from the field to open the contest, but Sebring's Jake Trussell scored four of his 10 points, and Young added six points in the paint to give the Blue Streaks a 17-10 lead heading into the second quarter.

Avon Park got hot from the outside as Tekovin Miller and Jerry Sullivan knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and forward Cleveland Nobles scored six of his game-high 22 points as the Red Devils enjoyed a 33-26 halftime lead.

"We went on a run because we didn't turn the ball over and we executed our offense," said Clemons. "We have a lot of talent and we just need to keep our cool and play smart."

Sebring came out on fire to start the third period as Young scored seven points down low and Orozco was able to penetrate the Avon Park defense for a pair of layups to tie the game.

J.C. Howard's bank shot gave the Blue Streaks a lead they would never relinquish midway through the quarter.

Sebring's press forced several Red Devil turnovers, which were converted into easy baskets, including a monster dunk by Young, as the Blue Streaks took a 50-41 lead into the final eight minutes.

Alonzo Robinson, who scored 13 points, pulled Avon Park within seven points on a layup with 4:14 remaining, but Sebring answered with a pair of baskets and the Blue Streaks made their free throws down the stretch to seal the district win.

"It always feels good to beat Avon Park," said Young. "We've been working hard to get better and this win is good for our confidence.

"I've been working hard on my post moves and I used my quickness tonight to get to the basket."

Sebring is back in action with a road game on Tuesday at Hardee, an away game at Palmetto on Thursday and the Blue Streaks host Braden River on Friday night.

"Those are important district games and we have to be ready to play in a hostile environment," said Harris. "There are a bunch of teams in the district who have three losses and we have a chance to be a high seed in the district tournament if we can win these games."

Avon Park is at Braden River on Tuesday, hosts Sarasota Booker on Thursday and the Red Devils travel to DeSoto on Friday night.

"We have to stop turning the ball over," said Clemons. "It's as simple as that.

"We have some big games coming up and we need to be mentally and physically ready to play."

Mark Pinson can be reached at 863-386-5837 or mpinson@highlandstoday.com

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