Blue Streaks Host Tip-Off Classic

The wound is eight months old, but the pain of losing to the Sarasota Booker Tornadoes twice in less than a week that ended the season for the Sebring girl's basketball team is still as fresh as it was then.

"That was a tough pill to swallow," Sebring senior Hannah Shoop said. "We knew that we were better than them, but for some reason they got the best of us.

"It really has made us more determined to come out better and prove that we deserve the district championship."

Top-seeded Sebring lost to No. 2 seed Booker 39-37 in overtime in the Class 4A-District 10 championship final and then 38-34 in the regional semifinals.

Along with ending the season, the losses also saw the end of the careers of point guard Brenita Grant, Whitney Wells and two-time All-Heartland Player of the Year selection Whitney Lee.

Blue Streak head coach Mike Lee says that Lee and Grant made a great team on the floor and will sorely be missed, but that they have some up-and-coming stars in the making that have yet to shine.

"Whitney's scoring is something you don't just replace in a drop of a hat," Lee said. "But more so than her scoring was her leadership on the court and in the huddle.

"She and Brenita really kept this team together and you could always count on them when the game was on the line."

The loss of Grant and Lee leaves the Streaks guard play in very youthful hands, which means the front line will be key in Sebring's quest for a district championship.

Shoop leads a group of returning players that features Priscilla "Pookie" Adams and Maxine Copley.

The 5-foot-10 Shoop used size to her advantage and became more aggressive around the basket to average 9.4 points and 11.8 rebounds a game to give the Blue Streaks a real presence in the middle.

Lee has seen Shoop become even more dedicated in the weight room and during the off-season conditioning program, which should translate to an even more productive and powerful presence on the court.

"Hannah practically lived in the gym over the summer and bought into the conditioning program that I feel is the key to our continued success," Lee said. "Hannah's skills have continued to get better every year and this season she's working even harder to become a more offensive threat for us in the middle."

Returning to the Blue Streaks this season is forward Olivia Bullock, who took a year off from basketball. Bullock, the sister of former All-Heartland Player of the Year Brittney Bullock, should add some much-needed size and defensive pressure on the low block to take the load off of Shoop.

But it has been forward Shannon Williams, who's been turning heads in practice with her tireless work ethic.

"Shannon is going to be a real force this season mark my words," Sebring assistant coach Terry Quarles said. "She's been working all summer and she's the type of player that's going to get better as the season progresses. She just needs to get some experience under her belt and she works really well with Hannah on the inside that makes it hard for teams to just focus on one of them."

The new-look Streaks get their first taste of competition tonight, when they host Okeechobee in the Sebring Tip-Off Classic at 7:30 p.m.

The first game of the four-team tournament has Bartow playing LaBelle at 6 p.m.

On Thursday, Okeechobee plays LaBelle at 6 p.m., while Sebring takes on Bartow at 7:30.

Lee hopes to get a feel for where the Streaks are at against some tough teams and see where they youthful Sebring squad needs to work on.

"Okeechobee has always had some good teams in the past and I expect they'll be ready to play," Lee said. "We just have to come out and set the tone for the season right from this preseason game. The chemistry is what I'm looking for and to see what lineups fit on the court."