Devils Rise Above Wildcats

If Monday is any indication at just how potent Avon Park's inside game can be, then the Red Devils' 59-41 victory over Hardee should stand as a notice to the rest of the teams in Class 4A-District 10.

Sophomore Alonzo Robertson scored a game-high 27 points and center Cleveland Nobles finished with 14, as Avon Park's inside presence dominated the game from start to finish.

"Our perimeter shooting was off tonight," said AP point guard Avierre Conner. "Our big guys bailed us out.

"Our offense really runs through Alonzo and Cleveland and they were on top of their game tonight."

Avon Park's offense kept up the pressure, as the Devils extended a two-point first-quarter lead to six at halftime and 14 points heading into the fourth.

The lead would bulk to 20 points for the second time in the game on a nice layup off a steal by Conner early in the final stanza and the Devils closed the door on the 'Cats with a 14-6 run.

Conner would finish with five points on the night.

Avon Park coach Luther Clemons could see the lining wasn't all silver for the Devils, as the team started off sluggish and made too many mistakes handling the ball.

"I liked that we worked hard and were aggressive on both ends of the court, but we need to handle the ball better. We were way too sloppy in the first half," Clemons said. "But there are very few times that you see a perfect game."

Avon Park improved its record to 11-6 overall and 3-2 in the district, which gives the Red Devils double-digit wins for the first time since 2006.

The win over Hardee is also AP's third in a row, and the Devils remained unbeaten at home this season.

"We've really come together and have been playing well," Avon Park guard Derrick "Moochie" McKenzie said. "I believe that the teams we faced in the holiday tournaments have really honed our skills."

Conner was in total agreement with McKenzie over the level of competition and the correlation to their recent success.

"I think the tournaments taught us that we can play with anyone," Conner said. "We just have to run our offense and play our game. Now we've been able to string some wins together and we're looking forward to going after the top seed."

Late in the third, Robertson added to his highlight reel, as he helped Avon Park extend their lead to 20 points with a rim-rocking, one-handed that brought the crowd and teammates to their feet.

Hardee never came closer than 14 the rest of the way as the Red Devils cruised to the win.

The 'Cats were led by Antjuan Jones who finished with 10 points and three other players chipped in with six points for Hardee.

Avon Park has a pair of tough road games ahead, as they travel on Friday to face Lake Wales and then to archrival Sebring on Saturday.

Both games will tip off at 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Avon Park 49, Hardee 31

WAUCHULA - Senior Daija Barrett scored a game-high 21 points and Avon Park used a 16-3 second quarter run to lift the Red Devils to a 49-31 victory over Hardee in a Class 4A-District 10 game on Tuesday.

"We played really well tonight," said AP head coach Paulette Daley. "Our intensity was there which I thought was refreshing."

Avon Park is battling for the third or fourth seed in the upcoming district tournament and Daley knows that these last few games are important in setting the tone for a successful postseason run.

"The girls have to stay consistent and play within themselves and not try to win the game in the first quarter," Daley said. "I was really happy with Daija stepping up tonight and giving us the offensive boost we needed.

"Daija's ability to play in the paint or on the perimeter means she's definitely going to be a weapon for us during playoff time"

Hardee's Sabrina Holmes and Naomi Awanda scored a combined 25 points, including seven 3-pointers to keep the game from becoming out of hand.

Ja'mee Hawthorne finished with 10 points and freshman Brekayla English chipped in five points in the win.

Avon Park is back on the court today when they travel to face Fort Meade.

Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.