TAMPA — There was little surprise about Bartow’s blueprint, as it was the same one almost every other team tried against Tampa Bay Tech this season. The state-ranked Yellow Jackets came out in a fullcourt press to prevent the Titans from getting the ball to their imposing front line, a ...
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Thu. Feb. 07, 2013 at 9:20 p.m. | Joel Anderson
VALRICO — Alonso parlayed its third winning season in school history with its first ever playoff berth by defeating Plant 57-52 in Wednesday’s Class 6A, District 7 semifinal at Bloomingdale. The No. 2 Ravens will play top seed Wharton, which cruised to a 69-44 win over Newsome, in Friday’s district ...
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Wed. Feb. 06, 2013 at 10:36 p.m. | Steve Lee
TAMPA — When the outcome was no longer in doubt, Freedom coach Laurie Pacholke started pulling her starters from the floor one by one. She shared a long embrace with her daughter, senior guard Neena Pacholke. Faith Woodard joined them on the sideline, accompanied by the exuberant cheers of the ...
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Fri. Feb. 01, 2013 at 8:32 p.m. | Joel Anderson
TAMPA — Luis Zapata recorded his first career hat trick as Plant shook off a sluggish start to smother St. Petersburg 4-0 in a 5A region quarterfinal Wednesday. “Part of the problem was we allowed them to do what they do best in the beginning,” first-year Plant coach John Feely ...
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Wed. Jan. 30, 2013 at 11:04 p.m. | Brandon Wright
TAMPA — Plant’s Christina Tamargo nailed her first shot, a 3-pointer from the right side of the floor. A little less than a minute later, Tamargo let fly from the top of the key. Three more points. Later in the first quarter, the 5-foot-8 senior drained another basket over the ...
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Wed. Jan. 30, 2013 at 10:18 p.m. | Joel Anderson
TAMPA — Arelys Jiminez’s birthday gift formally arrived 35 minutes into Friday’s Class 4A, District 8 semifinals. The celebration, however, didn’t commence until more than an hour later. Jiminez’s son, Sickles senior Carlos Sifontes, scored the top-seeded Gryphons’ goal in the first half, then watched his team prevail in the ...
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Fri. Jan. 25, 2013 at 9:58 p.m. | Joey Knight
RIVERVIEW — Wharton entered Thursday’s Class 5A, District 7 semifinal against Newsome with nothing to lose. The Wildcats were facing the district’s No. 1 seed in Newsome, a team that won 15 games during the regular season. Wharton, on the other hand, finished below .500 and had just four wins. ...
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Thu. Jan. 24, 2013 at 8:54 p.m. | Bryan Burns
Records through Wednesday Girls 1. Freedom (19-2): The Patriots won the District 7A-9 title by handing Steinbrenner only its second loss in the past 23 home games. 2. Seffner Christian (22-2): The Crusaders knocked off 6A-9 champ Kathleen and rolled to wins of 42 and 30 points over Tampa Catholic ...
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Thu. Jan. 24, 2013 at 5:32 p.m. | Times Staff
Records through Wednesday’s games Girls 1. Freedom (18-2): Sophomore guard Taylor Emery (21.4 points) is expected to return Friday against Steinbrenner after suffering a concussion Jan. 5. A win clinches the district title. 2. Seffner Christian (19-2): Crusaders cruised to a lopsided victory over then-undefeated Academy at the Lakes, and ...
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Thu. Jan. 17, 2013 at 5:04 p.m. | Times Staff
DOVER — They told Plant City just wait until 2012.They told Durant just wait until we're seniors.They were right.Strawberry Crest's boys soccer team is undefeated. Not bad for a fourth-year program, but especially not bad for one that has never finished with a winning record.While no one on the team ...
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Wed. Dec. 26, 2012 at 12:09 p.m. | Darek Sharp
CLEARWATER — Berkeley Prep knew the Strawberry Crest boys basketball team likes to play an uptempo game, but the Bucs decided to set the pace against the Chargers even faster. As a result, Berkeley Prep routed Strawberry Crest 75-49 in Saturday's final of the Bright House tournament hosted by Clearwater ...
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Sat. Dec. 22, 2012 at 8:39 p.m. | Andy Warrener
Offensive Player of the Year: QB Will Worth, Sr., Newsome Why we picked him: Considering no county player was more vital to his team, Worth also was a bona fide defensive player of the year candidate. We chose him for offense in part because of his staggering playoff performance. The ...
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Sat. Dec. 22, 2012 at 11:29 a.m. | Times Staff
CLEARWATER — Whether he was slashing, leaping or flinging shots from 20 feet, Justin Gray could hardly miss Friday night. The one time he did, the Berkeley Prep junior smiled, which said everything that needed to be said about the Bright House Tournament semifinal against Gainesville.Berkeley Prep scored a lot, ...
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Fri. Dec. 21, 2012 at 9:23 p.m. | Bob Putnam
CLEARWATER — After playing away from the basket for much of the first half, Berkeley Prep coach Bobby Reinhart wanted his players to move closer.On defense, he wanted his small guys with quick feet to cut off driving lanes. On offense, he wanted his players to bulldoze toward easy, inside ...
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Thu. Dec. 20, 2012 at 9:39 p.m. | Bob Putnam
Player of the Year Sidney Brown, Jr., OH, Berkeley Prep Why we picked her: Brown ably filled the shoes of Jordan Burgess and Mackenzie Dagostino, two of the most decorated players in Hillsborough and Berkeley Prep history. She was the undisputed leader of the Bucs’ run to the Class 4A ...
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Wed. Dec. 19, 2012 at 5:51 p.m. | Joel Anderson