SEBRING — Taking care of the ball will most definitely be a resolution for the new year for the Sebring boys basketball team, which coughed up 24 turnovers in a 58-45 loss to the Suncoast Chargers in the late game of the Jim Taveniere Holiday Tournament on Thursday. A very physical Charger squad muscled Sebring for position and an effective half-court press forced the Blue Streak guards to pick up their dribble early and turnovers inevitably were the result, going down 17-4 early in the opening stanza. "They were a very rough team and the referee's set the tone by letting us play," Sebring shooting guard Chris Grubb said. "[Suncoast] is a really good team and they did a great job of closing down the middle and forcing us to take outside shots. "They're press defense and a lot of mental mistakes on our part caused us to get behind early, but I thought we did a good job getting back in the game." ...more

December 29, 2007

SEBRING –– The game was all but over at halftime, but the memories from the ninth annual South-Central Florida All-Star Football Classic will last much longer for the players involved. The Central team –– made up of seniors from Avon Park, Bartow, Fort Meade, Haines City, Hardee, Lake Placid, Lake Wales, Okeechobee and Sebring –– went up by four touchdowns at the half and cruised to a 42-6 victory over the South squad in a game filled with turnovers, penalties, and –– perhaps most of all –– smiles. "Our big concept from day one was 'Hey fellas, you might have been enemies before, but we're all on the same team this weekend,' " said Lake Placid coach Tim Grant, who led the Central squad. "But this was still our home turf, and we wanted to protect it." The Central team did just that, getting touchdowns from Sebring's Sam Robinson and T.J. Williams and holding the South team's stars –– made up of seniors from Charlotte, DeSoto, LaBelle, Lemon Bay, Moore Haven, North Port and Port Charlotte –– to less than 70 yards of offense at the half. Sebring's Isaac Fernandez, one of seven Blue Streaks on the field, said the win was satisfying in more ways than one. ...more

December 24, 2007

SEBRING — The front entrance of Sebring High School ran out of tickets before Friday night's non-district meeting between the Sebring and Lake Placid boys basketball teams. But that didn't stop the Blue Streaks from putting on a show. After the Highlands County rivals traded baskets for much of the first half, Sebring took over in the third quarter, as Sam Robinson's 20 points and six rebounds paced the Streaks to a 71-51 romp of Lake Placid. ...more

December 23, 2007

SEBRING — It's quite a sight to behold, watching football players from rival schools Avon Park and Sebring on the same side of the ball. Red Devils and Blue Streaks playing side by side with some Wildcats and a few Bulldogs for good measure — it must be the ninth annual South-Central All-Star game. The event, which is sponsored by the Sebring Firemen, is known for assembling the best talent of senior football players from the region. The All-Star contest has always drawn a contingent of college recruiters, who get one last look at local seniors before signing day in January. First-year Lake Placid head coach Tim Grant has been chosen to lead the Central squad, which features many kids from the Heartland. ...more

December 21, 2007

SEBRING — In practice, when Sam Robinson works on his running teardrop floater, he makes sure everyone knows whose style he's emulating. "He works on that shot all the time," said Sebring coach Princeton Harris. "All he says is 'Tony Parker! Tony Parker!' "I don't really like it, but you can't take it away from the kid, because he's perfected it." Behind the floater and 24 points, Robinson spurred Sebring to a 56-45 victory over Braden River on Friday night in a crucial Class 4A-District 10 meeting at SHS. ...more

December 9, 2007

ARCADIA — Sebring senior Sam Robinson had 14 points and senior T.J. Williams added 11 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough Thursday night, as the Blue Streak boys basketball team fell behind early and never recovered in a 81-58 loss to DeSoto. Junior guard Chris Grubb added 12 points for the Streaks, who drop to 1-3 in district. "I think we can beat them next time," said Sebring coach Princeton Harris. "They're very athletic and they shot the ball well. We just didn't rotate on our zone defense." ...more

December 8, 2007

FROSTPROOF — Controversial calls ran rampant during the clash between the Sebring boys basketball team and Frostproof on Tuesday night. Questionable calls and turnovers saw a 13-point Sebring lead late in the third quarter dissipate to nothing, and the Bulldogs took advantage, knocking down 23-of-36 free throws for an 84-73 Class 4A-District 10 victory. ...more

December 6, 2007

SEBRING — With bodies racing up and down the court at a frenetic pace, Saturday night's boys basketball game between Sebring and Bradenton Southeast resembled a track meet. But the uptempo action was to Sebring's liking, as its defense forced 20 turnovers and guard Chris Grubb scored a game-high 20 points, while Sam Robinson added 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Blue Streaks to a 58-46 win over the Seminoles. "We had to bounce back with a win because we came up a little short against Hardee on Friday night," Robinson said. "I wasn't tired because I drank a whole bunch of Kool-Aid with sugar and that always gets me hyped up. "We cut down on our turnovers in the second half and we started attacking the basket to take advantage of our size. ...more

December 3, 2007

SEBRING — Lake Gibson's Preston Frederick signed a letter of intent with Florida Southern on Thursday morning. On Thursday night, he showed the Sebring basketball team why. The 6-foot-8 senior poured in 47 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and had six blocks to lead the Class-5A Braves to an 82-80 overtime victory over the 4A Blue Streaks in a wild final game of the inaugural Preseason Classic. "We're not used to playing against this hostile of a crowd," said Frederick, who hit 17 of his 26 field goal attempts on the night and scored eight of his team's 11 points in OT. "There was never a doubt in our mind we had it — we've been conditioning all summer for games like this." ...more

November 17, 2007

SEBRING –– Using its superior height and athleticism, the Sebring boys basketball team opened the season with a convincing 50-36 win over Sonrise Christian Academy in the Pre-Season Classic on Tuesday night. Junior guard Chris Grubb led the way with seven assists, three steals and a game-high 17 points. "Chris worked very hard on his game over the summer and has really improved," said Blue Streak coach Princeton Harris. "He did a good job of driving to the basket, and he also got some good looks from the outside in our offensive sets. "It's good to get that first win, but there are a number of things that we need to work on to get better as a team." ...more

November 15, 2007