Devils Earn Sloppy Win

FROSTPROOF - A win is a win, even if it wasn't pretty.

The Avon Park girls basketball team showed what it takes to win ugly on Thursday, as turnovers, sloppy passes and the prototypical slow start marred the Red Devils for most of the game, allowing Frostproof to hang around longer than expected in Avon Park's 47-38 win at Jim Boyd Gymnasium on Thursday.

"This was just typical of the type of game that this team has been giving all season," AP head coach Paulette Daley said. "We're midway through the season, so you'd have thought it would have sunk in by now.

"We need to play a full game. Be aggressive at the start and aggressive at the end. They know the type of team they have and still they play like this."

Red Devil center Brearana Tate notched a double-double for Avon Park, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while point guard Beonca Godfrey had a team-high 14 points, five steals and four assists in the win.

After a sloppy first quarter and leading by one, Godfrey got a boost from her coach on the sideline.

"She got me fired up and told me to calm the team down and play our game," the AP point guard said. "From that point, we just started executing better and played strong basketball."

Godfrey scored 10 of her 12 points in the second, slashing to the basket and either draining the shot or drawing the foul, to give Avon Park a 26-20 lead at the half.

"That's [Godfrey's] game," Daley said. "She is so good when she has the ball in her hand and directing the offense. She can drive to the basket or draw the defense and dish it off to the open player."

That open player was Tate, who scored seven points in the third quarter, and was the recipient of numerous passes from Godfrey that the center turned into points and extended the Red Devil lead to as much as 13 points in the second half.

"We were all about moving the ball," Tate said. "After that first quarter, I think we relaxed as a team. I know that I settled down and let the game come to me."

Frostproof would not go away quietly, scoring in bunches during the game to inch their way back into the contest. Down by 12 nearing halftime, the Bulldogs scored six unanswered points - including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Ciesha Solomon - that cut Avon Park's lead to six.

Daley pointed out to her team the dangers of playing down to their competition at the break.

"We have to keep the pressure on, no matter who we play," Daley said. "You can't pick and choose when you're going to play. You have to play hard all the time."

Avon Park kept the pressure on the Bulldogs in the final stanza, using their 2-3 zone to force turnovers that sparked an 8-2 run that put the game on ice for the Red Devils.

Shooting guard Jamee Hawthorne finished with 10 points, while junior Daija Barrett chipped in nine points in the win.

The Red Devils are next at home on Tuesday when they host arch-rival Sebring at 6:30 p.m.