Streaks Twist Past Tornadoes

SEBRING - Sam Robinson doesn't worry if he gets off to a slow start on the basketball court.

Opponents, on the other hand, probably should.

Robinson hit three 3-point bombs in the third quarter and scored a game-high 26 points Tuesday night to lead the Sebring boys basketball team to a 51-44 victory over district-leading Sarasota Booker in Class 4A-District 10 action at Sebring High School.

"I struggled in the first half," said Robinson, who also added four steals. "But I always have more confidence in the second half of games - I usually come out and play well."

Tuesday was no different.

Sebring carried a three-point lead into halftime but allowed the Tornadoes to tie the game at 32 when Stone Holloway drilled a runner inside. That's when Robinson took over, hitting three of his next four from behind the arch to give Sebring a 40-35 lead at the end of three.

"We knew they'd play that 2-3 zone, and that's something we've struggled with," said Sebring coach Princeton Harris, who noted the team implemented some zone-busting plays as late as Monday's practice. "We did a good job executing - you can change things when you go on those runs."

Booker took advantage of a large foul discrepancy and rallied back to within two points with four minutes left, but Sebring - despite hitting just two of its final 10 free throws - held on for the victory.

Booker was led by 12 points from Mike Gorman and 10 points from Marquis Mack.

"This shows a lot of growth," Harris said. "Our biggest thing has been staying focused and playing a full game and we've finally done it. I don't know, maybe it's the new year, but it's happening at the right time."

Sophmore Nate Orozco, a sophomore call-up from the JV team, was Sebring's second-leading scorer with eight points. He said it was easy to see why Booker started the new year on top of the district.

"They're a great team," said Orozco, who led the Streaks with six assists and five steals. "They have all-around players, and they know how to communicate. Beating them gives us the mentality that we can beat anyone."

Booker coach Derrick Kirce said he saw a different Sebring team than the one the Tornadoes beat earlier this season. Unfortunately, he added, his team also looked different - and not for the better.

"Earlier in the year, we got away with a lot of the little things," Kirce said. "But bad passes, bad decisions and missed free throws killed us tonight.

"Sebring came out hungry to beat us, and we came out lackadaisical."

The Streaks don't have much time to relish their victory: Sebring travels to Hardee on Friday for a 7:30 meeting with the Wildcats before hosting arch-rival Avon Park on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

"We need to keep working hard and playing as a team," Robinson said. "If we do that, we can only get better."