AP looking to advance to Final Four

Way back in November, during the Preseason Classic, Avon Park senior Cleveland Nobles was asked what this team was capable of accomplishing.

"Lakeland Center," he said, referring to the site of the state Final Four.

Seemed a bit implausible at the time, considering the Red Devils hadn't been on the grandest stage for Florida high school basketball since 1996.

Well, it doesn't seem so fanciful anymore.

Avon Park (25-3) will play Bishop Verot (19-10) in Fort Myers tonight at 7 in the Class 3A regional finals. Another win on the road - it would be their third in a row this postseason - and the Red Devils will be back among the state's elite, two victories from a state championship.

"This team has surpassed so many things this year," Avon Park coach Luther Clemons said after his team's decisive 71-57 win over Berkeley Prep on Tuesday. "I'm just kind of along for the ride right now."

And what a ride it's been.

The Red Devils have already set a school record for consecutive wins to start a season - 12 - while going 12-0 in the district during the regular season. Of course, that didn't mean much in the district tournament, when they were held to a season-low 40 points in a humbling loss to Mulberry.

Avon Park assistant coach Alvin Conner said Tuesday that loss was "more of a blessing than a curse" for the Red Devils. It forced them to go on the road for the playoffs - they were 10-1 away from home during the regular season - and they tended to band together when playing in a hostile environment.

"That experience as a road warrior has given us so much confidence," Conner said Tuesday.

So should the win at Berkeley Prep, arguably the Red Devils' finest 32 minutes of the season.

After establishing a 30-26 lead at halftime, Avon Park went on an 11-4 run to start the third quarter and outscored Berkeley Prep 19-8 in the period. It only got more one-sided from there, as the Red Devils led by as many as 19 in the fourth - a run punctuated by Alonzo Robertson's one-handed dunk over and through a Buccaneers player, setting off such a raucous celebration underneath the basket that it drew a technical foul.

Robertson finished with a team-high 17 points, continuing his solid postseason play. Robertson scored 14 in the regional quarterfinal win over Tampa Catholic, keeping a steady hand while the Red Devils stumbled down the stretch and nearly squandered their shot at the semis.

Clemons said afterward that his players had complained about a slippery ball, but really, they may have been battling nerves in their first playoff game in years. They had no such problems Tuesday against Berkeley Prep - with their emotions or their opponent.

"We just want to get to Lakeland," Clemons said. "Just to walk around and say, 'Wow, we're playing in here.'"

The Red Devils are now one win away. And aside from Cleveland Nobles, who would've predicted that?

If you go:

WHO: Red Devils at

Vikings

WHAT: Class 3A regional finals

WHEN: 7 tonight in

Fort Myers

COST: $5