Dragons Wallop Wildcats

Senior forward Travalier Sholtz scored a game-high 20 points and Lake Placid placed four players in double figures in a 76-46 win over McKeel Academy in boys basketball on Friday night.

Avery Young scored 12 points, sharp-shooter Kirk Veley added 12, Andre Wilson chipped in with 10 and Sholtz pulled down 14 rebounds and blocked four shots as the Class 3A Green Dragons improved to 4-8 overall and 1-1 in District 8 play.

"This is a big district win for us,' said Sholtz. "We came out ready to play, stayed aggressive and played hard the entire game.

"We won on Monday, our confidence is growing and we're coming together as a team."

The loss dropped the Wildcats to 1-1 in district competition.

Lake Placid came out in a zone defense and a little sluggish and the teams headed to the second quarter tied at 8. The Green Dragons went to their half-court trap and used their superior quickness to force McKeel Academy into numerous turnovers, which were converted into easy baskets.

"We started in a zone because we were concerned with McKeel's outside shooting," said first-year Lake Placid coach David Veley. "We switched to man-to-man and that forced the tempo in our favor.

"Our half-court trap allowed us to take advantage of our speed and quickness and I was pleased because we played as a team."

The Green Dragons, led by Sholtz's six points and Veley's five, took a 29-20 lead into the half.

Lake Placid came out with increased intensity to start the third period, and after a basket by McKeel's Jimmy Edinger, who led the Wildcats with 14 points, the Green Dragons went on a 16-0 run to take a commanding 45-22 lead with 4:01 remaining in the quarter.

Lake Placid continued to force the action and Veley's 3-pointer gave the Green Dragons a 56-30 lead heading into the final eight minutes.

Lake Placid ran its offense and substituted liberally in the final stanza in cruising to the easy win.

"We came out with good effort from the opening tip and made some good decisions with the ball in transition," said Coach Veley. "We shot the ball well, hit the boards hard and it's good to get that first district win."

Lake Placid has two key district games next week with a road trip to Mulberry on Tuesday and a game at Frostproof on Friday.

"We still control our destiny in the district," said Coach Veley. "Those are two big games, but we just have to come out ready to play.

"We're an unselfish team that continues to improve and we'll take them one at a time."