Region boys basketball: Tampa Prep cruises after big third quarter
TAMPA — In 1994, 3-20 Fort Meade came in and upset host Tampa Prep in the region playoffs. For the first half of Thursday's Class 3A region quarterfinal, at least, visions of that loss haunted Tampa...
View ArticleRegion girls basketball: Land O’Lakes locks up first state berth
INVERNESS — Land O’Lakes showed guts and determination Saturday night, coming back from 10 points down to defeat a tough Citrus squad 40-37 in the Class 5A region final to advance to Lakeland for...
View ArticleState wrestling: Twins lead PHU to fifth
LAKELAND — Palm Harbor University had the best finish among Pinellas schools at Saturday’s state wrestling tournament, fifth in Class 3A. The Hurricanes had 88 points, one fewer than fourth-place...
View ArticleState wrestling: Brandon wins 25th title
LAKELAND — Brandon extended its record run by winning the Class 2A state wrestling title Saturday, giving it 25 in all and 14 in a row. Among Brandon’s seven state champions, five — Frank Bruno (106...
View ArticleSeminole in heritage set to be one on field at Florida State
TAMPA — Justin Motlow didn’t begin to understand the history of his Seminole ancestors until he was 12 or 13, when he’d watch the elders sewing patchwork and shooting arrows like they used to on the...
View ArticleHow they match up: Seffner Christian vs. Calvary Christian
Class 3A state girls basketball semifinal Who: Seffner Christian (23-5) vs. Calvary Christian (21-4)When/where: 2:30 p.m. Tuesday; the Lakeland CenterAdmission: $10 per session; parking is $8 per...
View ArticleHomeTeam Hot Shots: Winners for Feb. 8-14
HomeTeam Hot Shots A spotlight on the Times’ bay area players of the week.Female Hot Shot: Audra Leipold, Academy at the Lakes Sport: BasketballSkinny: Leipold has quickly proven to be one of the top...
View ArticleGirls basketball: Youth’s no deterrent for Academy at the Lakes
LAND O’LAKES — Imani Thomas and Audra Leipold make eye contact as they dash across the court. They know each other’s style, and their predictions are accurate enough to lead their team’s attack....
View ArticleBoys basketball: Region semifinal capsules
All games at 7 p.m. Tuesday unless noted.Class 8A St. Petersburg (21-3) at Wharton (20-6) Outlook: This is a rematch of the Northeast Holiday Invitational final, in which the Wildcats rallied from an...
View ArticleColumn: Shaq Speights lends a helping hand to Gibbs’ title hopes
His defense was superlative. His offense was timely. His relief filled the gymnasium. Looking down at his right hand, which hadn’t dribbled and shot and defended at full speed in more than a month —...
View ArticleCountryside lineman Giovanni Negron commits to SE Missouri State
Countryside offensive lineman Giovanni Negron committed to Southeast Missouri State. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound senior started at left tackle the past two seasons and was the only returning starter on...
View ArticleState girls basketball: Academy at the Lakes’ inexperience shows
LAKELAND — Just like they had been all season, young players were Academy at the Lakes’ greatest assets when it faced Sarasota Christian in Tuesday’s Class 2A state semifinal. But in the biggest game...
View ArticleSPC's Chris White celebrates decision to attend Fairmont State
St. Petersburg Catholic defensive back Chris White had already put pen to paper, signing his letter of intent to play at Fairmont State on Feb. 6. But he did not get to do it front of family and...
View ArticleDunedin's Brenton Allen signs with Missouri Valley
Dunedin linebacker Brenton Allen signed with Missouri Valley this past week. Allen was among the team's leading tacklers this past season. He flew under the radar for most of last season as the...
View ArticleState girls basketball: Calvary Christian rallies, then falters late
LAKELAND — Calvary Christian started and ended its Class 3A state semifinal against Seffner Christian ice cold. But in between, the Warriors put a scare into the Crusaders before eventually losing...
View ArticleState girls basketball: Seffner Christian regroups, reaches final
LAKELAND — Peyton Walker had been to the state semifinals before, and she didn’t like how she felt after last year’s loss to Miami Country Day. So when Calvary Christian took a one-point lead with...
View ArticleRegion boys basketball: Rojas keeps Freedom’s run alive
DOVER — As Freedom coach Cedric Smith watched Strawberry Crest harass his Patriots by trapping them and forcing turnovers in the backcourt, he saw some potential good, too — an opening underneath....
View ArticleRegion boys basketball: Toughest foe of season on tap for AATL
LAND O’LAKES — One more win and they may have to rename the school Academy at the Lakeland Center. Malik Hall and Ethan Haslam poured in 23 points each as Academy at the Lakes defeated Bayshore...
View ArticleRegion boys basketball: Options aplenty for Nature Coast
BROOKSVILLE — Nature Coast was a good team all season, but over the past couple games, the Sharks have learned that the addition of Rohan Blackwood makes them a great team. After falling to Tarpon...
View ArticleRegion boys basketball: Berkeley Prep rolls on the road
Berkeley Prep outscored Avon Park by 14 in the first quarter to cruise into the Class 4A region finals with a 76-46 road victory.“We just played a real solid game, which we needed to on the road,”...
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