#1 Winter Haven survived an impressive comeback by #7 Lakewood Ranch to escape with a 49-48 overtime victory at the Bright House Shootout in St. Petersburg.

The Blue Devils jumped out to a 16-2 lead early in the first quarter, but the effects of playing a hard-fought game last night vs. Potter's House Christian in Tampa and the 2 PM start time of today's game seemed to catch up with the Blue Devils by the fourth quarter, as Lakewood Ranch outscored Winter Haven 12-6 in the fourth quarter to force overtime.

 Star junior LaDazhia Williams (ranked the 43rd-best junior in the nation) led the Mustangs with 21 points and nine rebounds while senior guard Elise Spiller scored a season-high 18 points.  A balanced Blue Devils attack was headlined by McDonald's All-American nominee Chrisana Scott (11 points) and sophomore stud Diamond Battles (11 points), while Sharajah Collins and Maddison Wells both chipped in nine points.

Winter Haven (23-3) enters the 7A District 7 tournament as the #1 seed and has dominated the competition, winning by an average of over 51 points in their six district games.  Lakewood Ranch (20-5) will also be the #1 seed in their district, after finishing 8-0 in 7A-11.  The teams are ranked #1 and #2 in Class 7A and could potentially meet again in the 7A Championship at The Lakeland Center.

In the second game of the doubleheader, host Northeast was overwhelmed by the pressure defense of #10 Southeast, as the Seminoles forced 23 turnovers en route to a 60-34 win.  The dynamic duo of Breyonna Reed (13 points, three assists) and Player of the Game Shauntavia Green (22 points, five assists) led the way offensively.  Southeast improves to 21-3 and will look for their 15th district title in the last 17 years under legendary coach John Harder, as they enter the 5A-11 tournament as the #1 seed.

Northeast (16-8) was led by senior Mikaela Hudson, who finished with eight points and four rebounds.  As the #3 seed in 6A-9, the Vikings will face Largo in the district quarterfinals, with a likely upcoming matchup vs. #2 seed Osceola looming.