Schools
Clearwater High Hoops Riding High into the Postseason
Both the boys and girls basketball teams have sights set on long playoff runs
The Clearwater boys and girls basketball teams are both in the thick of the playoff season right now. And with each team playing well and boasting talented leaders on the court, they both have strong chances of advancing to the regional round and beyond.
Despite losing 66-55 to Boca Ciega in the championship game of the PCAC tournament last week, the boys have been on a roll at the end of the season.
Following a tough 73-67 home loss to Gibbs on January 21st, the Tornadoes (19-6) ripped off four straight impressive victories, including g a 58-29 destruction of Indian Rocks Christian in the PCAC semis.
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Led by seniors Jon Hogan (21PPG, 9RPG) and Joey Nungester (16PPG, 4APG), the boys are poised to make some noise in the districts. As the number one seed, they will play the winner of Dunedin and East Lake in the Class 5A-District 11 semifinals Wednesday night at East Lake.
While the boys had to wait until the final game of the regular season to secure that number one seed, the girls squad faced no such drama.
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The Lady Tornadoes (25-3) stormed through the regular season, regularly dismantling opponents by 20+ points, including an incredible 70-9 victory over Dunedin in December.
Led by senior sharpshooter Emma Loucks (14PPG), sister of former Tornadoes great and current FSU player Luke Loucks, Clearwater rolled to its fifth straight district title and 21st overall with a 56-18 whitewashing of East Lake last Friday night.
Up next for the Lady Tornadoes: a date in the regional quarterfinals Thursday night against host Gibbs, which Clearwater defeated 64-19 in early December.
