SARASOTA — Daija Barrett's tears told how close the Avon Park girls basketball team came to a rematch with the Sebring and an extension of its season, as the junior reluctantly relived the final seconds of Friday's Class 4A–District 10 semifinal game against Booker. "My father has told me time and time again that free throws win games," Barrett said. "It was a lot of pressure, but as a player you want the ball in your hand to win the game. It just didn't fall for me tonight." ...more

February 3, 2008

The chilly conditions, Saturday's Children's Gasparilla Parade washout and NFL playoff games caused a sparse turnout for Sunday's "Piratechnic" Extravaganza on Bayshore Boulevard. ...more

January 21, 2008

Sophomore forward Okaro White's tip-in of a Luke Loucks miss with 39 seconds left gave Clearwater a 45-44 win against Pinellas Park on Friday night. The loss was the Patriots' first of the season against a Pinellas County team. ...more

January 19, 2008

AVON PARK — The Booker girls basketball team showed Avon Park a different face on Friday. One of defense and speed — a cat-like quickness and reflexes that blew past the host Red Devils in a 53-40 win that could be a precursor to the Class 4A-District 10 tournament. Booker's 2-3 defense battered the Avon Park guards around as if they were in a storm, forcing 32 turnovers during the game, which led to countless easy baskets for the Tornadoes. ...more

January 13, 2008

SEBRING — Sam Robinson doesn't worry if he gets off to a slow start on the basketball court. Opponents, on the other hand, probably should. Robinson hit three 3-point bombs in the third quarter and scored a game-high 26 points Tuesday night to lead the Sebring boys basketball team to a 51-44 victory over district-leading Sarasota Booker in Class 4A-District 10 action at Sebring High School. "I struggled in the first half," said Robinson, who also added four steals. "But I always have more confidence in the second half of games — I usually come out and play well." Tuesday was no different. ...more

January 10, 2008

The host Clearwater Tornadoes kept their record unblemished with a 70-45 win over Alonso in the final of the Bright House Networks Shootout. Yet the lopsided win wasn't enough to satisfy Clearwater. ...more

December 23, 2007

Pasco County's best traveled to Clearwater High School Friday night for a televised rematch with the state's No. 5 ranked team. Part of the eight-team Brighthouse Shootout, Ridgewood High walked into Jack Wilson Gym an undefeated 7-0, and looked for a duplication of their preseason victory over the Tornadoes a month prior. ...more

December 22, 2007

A Tarpon Springs High School students received an in-class thank you from the Police Department for returning a wallet he found during a football game at Sponger Field. The wallet belonged to a fan of the visiting Clearwater Tornadoes. ...more

December 22, 2007

This wasn't the same Clearwater team Ridgewood faced just over a month ago. ...more

December 22, 2007

Developing techniques for responding to hurricanes, tornadoes and other disasters will be the focus of a new think tank at the Florida Institute of Technology. ...more

December 17, 2007