Devils Knock Down Streaks

The Avon Park boys basketball team's plan heading into Tuesday afternoon's in-school district game against rival Sebring was to get the ball inside and let the posts do their job.

But once the Red Devils started draining 3-pointers and bringing the capacity crowd of students to their feet, the plan changed.

"Coming in, we wanted to get forward Cleveland Nobles going early," said AP's Avierre Conner, who scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Red Devils to a 60-57 victory over Sebring. "But me and Tevovin Miller, hit some shots early, and we stuck with that."

The Devils hit four of their first five 3-point attempts and avoided a second-half letdown to pick up the crucial district victory and give the team momentum heading into next week's district tourney at Hardee.

"It was all about teamwork," said Nobles, who along with Miller scored 10 points. "When our guards hit jump shots, it helps me because I don't have to worry about scoring as much, so I can just play defense.

"We believed in ourselves and everyone was focused as a team. Hopefully, we can take that into our last two games and the tournament."

Sebring had three double-digit scorers of their own, led by guard Christ Grubb, who finished with 16 points. He said the Devils played inspired ball, and that they always seemed to get a basket when they needed to.

"They had a guy leaking every time and they got a few layups that way," Grubb said. "That kept us from coming back."

The Streaks were forced to play catch-up for most of the contest after falling behind 15-4 early and 30-21 at the half. They repeatedly cut the deficit to a single possession down the stretch, but poor free throw shooting and key AP buckets held off any chance of a Sebring rally.

"We always play hard at home," said AP coach Luther Clemons. "For us, it's simple: Don't turn the ball over, execute and play defense. When we do that, we're pretty good."

Sebring coach Princeton Harris said his team uncharacteristically missed 17 free throws, but that he feels good about the Streaks' mindset heading into the home stretch of the season and the district tourney.

"They know what they need to do," Harris said, noting Sebring wasn't able to force AP's big men into foul trouble like they did during a Streak win early this season. "Walking into the locker room, I hear them talking about what they need to do, and that's what I want to hear."

The Streaks are back in action on Thursday, when travel to DeSoto. The Devils are off until Friday, when they host Palmetto. Both games are set for 7:30 p.m.

"This gives us confidence," Conner said. "It's good to know we can beat them going into the district tournament."

NOTES: Joe Young battled flu symptoms to score 11 points, while Devin Clarke scored 10 points and Tevin Toney added nine ... Alonzo Robinson finished with six points for AP.