Red Devils Snag A Draw From Dragons

Avon Park's Paul Calero snuck in a goal in the 78th minute on Thursday and the Red Devils boys soccer team finished the regular season with some much-needed confidence, earning a 1-1 tie with Lake Placid in the cross-county rivals' regular season finales.

"We played a heck of a game," said first-year coach Craig Morris, who's guided AP to a 2-9-2 record after a winless 2008 season. "I was telling them before the game that we needed to play the opposite of Lake Placid.

"Lake Placid plays faster than us so they'd burn us out, so we tried to slow it down and then step it up on them."

Lake Placid coach Josh Virkler said the Red Devils came out with a physical intensity his Dragons weren't expecting, and it didn't stop when Vicente Ramos put LP on the board midway through the first. Virkler said his team may have been a bit overconfident heading into the match and hopes the missed opportunity to send the seniors out with a regular-season win will serve as motivation for the Dragons heading into the playoffs.

"For us, the night was a story of squandered chances," Virkler said, noting his team racked up 20 shots on goal. "We had several really good, quality chances.

"When you waste good chances, you can't expect to win games."

The Devils are hoping to carry any momentum picked up into Tuesday's Class 4A-District 10 tournament, when sixth-seeded AP takes on third-seeded Braden River. Win or lose, Morris said he's happy with how his team has competed this season.

He said he didn't expect to take over the coaching reigns and "work miracles," but Morris is confident a solid foundation has been set for the future.

"I saw potential in the guys," Morris said. "But some of them didn't see it themselves. Finally they're starting to see what they have."

Avon Park kicks off at 6 p.m., on Tuesday while Lake Placid faces Mulberry at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Panthers' home field.

"This loss falls on us - we came out flat and made lots of mental errors," Virkler said. "Unless we focus better than we did, we're not going to fare well in the tournament."

BOYS BASKETBALL: Avon Park 46, Booker 36

AVON PARK - Cleveland Nobles scored 19 points to lead Avon Park to a 46-36 win over Booker in a Class 4A-District 10 clash on Thursday.

The Red Devils did most of their damage on the boards, as AP grabbed 29 rebounds, including nine boards by power forward Alonzo Robertson.

"I laid it out for this team what we need to do to win," said AP head coach Luther Clemons. "We needed to hold our opponents under 35 points, commit less than 14 turnovers a game and win the rebound battle, and we should be in every game we play."

Xavier Caldwell and Jerry Sullivan each had seven points and Avierre Conner had six points in the win.

Avon Park is back on the court Tuesday when they host rival Sebring. The in-school game begins at 1:30 p.m.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Sebring 78, Palmetto 70

PALMETTO - Devin Clarke scored a team-high 17 points to help Sebring extend its winning streak to four games with a 78-70 victory over Palmetto in a Class 4A-District 10 match-up on Thursday.

"Our defense is really leading the way for us," said Sebring head coach Princeton Harris. "We've really sustained the level of intensity on defense that I expect and it's showed in our performance."

Sebring caused 13 steals, which helped them to a 57-41 lead at half time. The Streaks led by as much as 18 against the Tigers.

Jake Trussell finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Kevin Toney had 13 points and 14 rebounds in the victory.

"I've been getting really good bench play lately and that has been a huge asset," Harris said. "The bench is going to be key when we get into the playoffs."

Spencer Cayton came off the bench to score 11 points and grab five rebounds for the Streaks.

Sebring hosted Braden River on Friday (see Sunday's Highlands Today for complete coverage). The Streaks are back on the court Tuesday when they travel to face Avon Park at 1:30 p.m. in an in-school game.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Palmetto 46, Sebring 42

PALMETTO - Hannah Shoop scored 15 points and Shannon Williams added nine on Thursday night, but the Sebring girls basketball team dropped another close one, this time on the road in a 46-42 loss to Palmetto.

The Streaks led by 10 points at half after holding the Tigers to one point in the second quarter. They were then outscored 21-4 in the third and couldn't claw their way back into the lead as Palmetto hit its free throws down the stretch.

"We were fighting, but we couldn't quite make it all click," said Sebring coach Mike Lee. "We did some things right, and I liked how we played lockdown defense in the second. But we came out a little flat in the third."

Maxime Copley and Kayla Clemens chipped in eight points each for the Streaks, who faced Braden River on Friday night in their district finale (see Sunday's Highlands Today for complete coverage). Sebring returns to action on Tuesday, when they host LaBelle. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Fort Meade 62, Lake Placid 45

FORT MEADE - Kunshee Wilson scored 15 points but foul trouble plagued Lake Placid on Thursday as the Dragons fell 62-45 to Fort Meade.

Whistles followed the Dragons the entire game, including three quick fouls on senior Kaneisha Hamilton.

"We were without Sierra Weaver tonight and the fouls piled up for us," said LP head coach Shonda Legree. "I thought the girls played good in the first half and I'm pleased with their performance against a good Miner team."

Lake Placid is back on the court Jan. 29 when they host Hardee. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER: Clewiston 2, Sebring 1

CLEWISTON - Buck Schroeder scored a goal on an assist from Daniel Lee, but the Clewiston boys soccer team defended their home pitch in 2-1 victory over the Blue Streaks on Thursday.

Sebring is back in action on Monday, when the fourth-seeded Blue Streaks take on fifth-seeded Booker in the opening round of the Class 4A-District 10 soccer tourney at Palmetto High School. See Thursday's Highlands Today for complete coverage.