Sebring Boys Basketball Cruises Past DeSoto

Devin Clarke scored 12 points and Spencer Caton added 10 points and eight rebounds on Thursday to lead the Sebring boys basketball team to a 63-35 thumping of DeSoto in Class 4A-District 10 action.

Joe Young added eight points and 10 rebounds, Chris Grubb chipped in eight points and Nate Orozco and Jake Trussell added six each in a well-balanced scoring attack.

But as they have most of the season, the Streaks won on the other side of the floor: "Our defense really stepped in and picked things back up tonight," said SHS coach Princeton Harris. "We put a lot of pressure on them in the third and held them to two points."

Sebring turned a 31-22 halftime edge into a 26-point advantage in the third, a quarter Harris said will give the team momentum heading into the district tournament which begins on Feb. 9 in DeSoto.

The Blue Streaks closed district play on Friday night against Booker, while Avon Park battled top-seeded Palmetto. Both rivals will be looking for wins with hopes of grabbing the tourney's No. 2 seed (see highlandstoday.com/sports for results and Sunday's Highlands Today for complete coverage of both games).

GIRLS BASKETBALL: Hardee 44, Lake Placid 37
Sierra Weaver scored 12 points and Brandi Colbert added eight more on Thursday night, but Hardee's offense overpowered the Lake Placid girls basketball team in a 44-37 Wildcat victory.

"We didn't play with as much intensity as we showed against Frostproof last week," said LP coach Shonda LeGree. "It was an emotional senior night and I had a few girls who were fatigued."

The game was the final regular-season tune-up of the year for the Dragons, who host next week's Class 3A-District 10 tournament.

McKeel and Mulberry kick off the tournament at 6 p.m. on Feb. 6, while Lake Placid meets Frostproof in the 7:45 p.m. match. The winners will meet on Feb. 7.

"I think we can get past Frostproof if we can come out with the same intensity we showed against them last game," LeGree said. "We're going to prepare to be pressed and be ready for anything."