Red Devils Run Past Blue Devils

Cleveland Nobles scored 15 points and Xavier Caldwell added 12 points and 11 rebounds on Friday night to lead Avon Park to a 61-47 victory over Winter Haven at the T-Mac Holiday Invitational.

AP head coach Luther Clemons complemented his boys on responding after a sluggish start.

"We played less than 24 hours after playing a tough game against Palmetto on the road last night," Clemons said. "It took a quarter for both teams to really get into the rhythm of the game."

Avon Park trailed 44-42 heading into the final quarter when the Red Devil defense stepped up their play and outscored the Blue Devils 19-3 in the final quarter for the win.

Tekovin Miller finished with 12 points and Avierre Conner had nine points for the Red Devils.

Avon Park faced Lakeland Christian on Saturday in the final day of the invitational (see Monday's Highlands Today for result). The Red Devils won't be back in action until Dec. 27, when they travel to Disney World to participate in the KSA Christmas Tournament.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Lakeland Christian 48, Lake Placid 43

LAKELAND - Kunshee Wilson scored in double figures to lead the Lake Placid girls basketball team's offense, but foul trouble proved costly as the Dragons fell 48-43 to Lakeland Christian at the Vikings' Holiday Tournament.

"It was a good game, but foul trouble hurt us," said Green Dragon coach Shonda Legree. "Kaneisha Hamilton got in foul trouble in the first half, and that really hurt our offense."

LP was back in action on Saturday night against Lakeland High School (see Monday's Highlands Today for result. After the holiday break, the Dragons return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 6, when they host DeSoto.