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Brandon High School

Bishop McLaughlin makes history in state title bid

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They couldn’t quite win it all, but they got pretty darn close — and they’re primed for another good shot come next season.

The Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School varsity boys basketball program’s historic season came to a close in an 85-76 overtime loss against Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian Academy at the FHSAA 3A state championship game at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland on March 5.

The Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School varsity basketball team went 22-7 and reached the FHSAA Class 3A state final four at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland. The Hurricanes ultimately lost in overtime in the state championship game to Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian Academy, 85-76. (Courtesy of Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School)

The Hurricanes were paced by junior guard Emanual Sharp’s 33 points and enjoyed a solid six-point lead through three quarters of the title game.

But the lead quickly vanished once a sized-up Calvary Christian squad amped up its pressure defense, forcing a slew of turnovers and poor shots.

Calvary Christian — with eight players taller than 6-feet-5 — wound up outscoring Bishop McLaughlin 31-17 in the fourth quarter and overtime combined.

Fatigue and inexperience against Calvary Christian’s defense and heightened level of physicality also were factors in Bishop McLaughlin’s struggles at the close of game, first-year Hurricanes head coach Derrick Sharp told The Laker/Lutz News.

“Our guys kind of rushed their passes or threw weak passes or for whatever reason we just kind of lost the ball and they capitalized quick, and credit to (Calvary Christian) and their players and the pressure that they put on us, and that’s kind of what did it. From there, they had the momentum…and we just kind of lost our way in the end.

“Some miscommunication, a missed shot, a bad shot, a bad decision here, there, kind of cost us the game, but that’s the way it goes. Our guys will learn from it, I’ll learn from it, and we’ll be better from it,” said Coach Sharp, a former University of South Florida standout who played professionally in Israel for 18 years.

Bishop McLaughlin junior guard Emanuel Sharp snips the homecourt nets following a banner 2020-2021 campaign.

Celebrating a banner campaign
Bishop McLaughlin (22-7) joins rare company as the first boys hoops program in Pasco County to reach the state tournament in Lakeland since the 2015-2016 Zephyrhills High Bulldogs. That Bulldogs team lost in the 5A state semifinals that year, falling to Kissimmee Poinciana 70-52.

Moreover, the Hurricanes are the first Pasco boys basketball program in more than 50 years to play in a state title game — when  Zephyrhills finished state runner-up in the 1966-1967 season. (Those Bulldogs teams were a force in the 1960s, winners of two state titles in 1962 and ’64, and runners-up in ’60 and ’66.)

The Hurricanes lengthy playoff run has generated quite a buzz about the small private Catholic school throughout the region, said Bishop McLaughlin athletic director Rex Desvaristes.

“Us being in Lakeland (for the state tournament) really opened the eyes of some of our community, not only in the Pasco area, but the Tampa Bay area,” the athletic director said. “This basketball program has helped grow our awareness and everybody knowing who Bishop McLaughlin is and our athletic program, so it definitely helped us.”

He continued: “When you’re in Lakeland and you’re advancing and you’re playing late in the spring, it’s enticing to other people in the community, because they’re tuning into your program. When you’re having success, that’s what happens. You’re getting the attention that you deserve, and that’s what’s happened with us.”

The local hoops program has come a long way in a short time.

The Hurricanes won just two games during the 2019-2020 season and seven the year before.

A roster and coaching overhaul brought in a slew of fresh faces and talent this season, however.

The team’s starting lineup of juniors — Emanuel Sharp, Anthony Davis Jr., Dillon Mitchell, Joshua Watkins, Matthew Webster — all have full-ride college athletic scholarships on the table.

High-flying athletes like 6-foot-7 junior forward Dillon Mitchell helped propel the Bishop McLaughlin boys basketball program to one of the best seasons in Pasco County history.

Each of those starters transferred in from elsewhere — Emanual Sharp (Blake High), Davis Jr. (Blake High), Mitchell (Sickles High), Watkins (Brandon High) and Webster (Pasco High).

Better yet, they’re all expected to return next season, as are role players in junior Javy Barber, sophomores Xavier Finney and Will Willard, and freshman Christopher Cruz.

Though the squad came up just short of a state crown, it was a memorable campaign nonetheless for players like Emanuel Sharp.

“It was great that we could all come here and make a difference right off the bat,” he said. “It was all our first year together and we’re still figuring things out to this day,” noting there are still things to fix.

“It was just a great season overall. I’m very happy with what we did.”

The 6-foot-4 combo guard and coach’s son is already looking forward to next year’s possibilities — armed with a full cast that will return older, and perhaps wiser and more skilled.

“It’s exciting knowing that our entire team is going to be coming back next year,” Emanuel said. “I get to play with my teammates, we can improve in the summer and improve in the offseason, and come back next year better than ever, ready to make another state run.”

The team’s offensive system runs through Emanuel, who led all 3A players in scoring — averaging 24.3 points per game and he boasts multiple top-flight Division I offers from the likes of Florida, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech and Xavier, among others.

Other double-digit scorers during the season were 6-foot-8 Mitchell (17.8 points) and 6-foot-5 Davis Jr. (12.1 points).

“On any given night, anybody can be the leading scorer, but the guys knew who the best player was offensively for us, so they kind of looked to (Emanuel) offensively to initiate and to create,” Derrick Sharp said.

Besides the unique collection of height, athleticism and skill, the coach credited the team’s character and unselfishness nature, noting they bought into being unconcerned with their own stat lines, but rather doing what was needed to best help the team win games.

The Bishop McLaughlin varsity boys basketball team had one of the best prep basketball seasons in Pasco County history. They’re the first boys team in the county to reach the state final four in Lakeland since Zephyrhills High did it during the 2015-2016 season.

“It’s truly probably the best group of guys that I’ve ever had the chance to coach,” Derrick Sharp said. “We definitely have the right chemistry and the right love and the right mindset, and everybody plays their role, and it’s only going to get better from here.”

Overcoming adversity, setbacks
The Hurricanes experienced its fair share of adversity along the way.

Emanuel Sharp had to sit out roughly the first two months of the season due to a fractured hand sustained from the fall.

The team also battled a bout with COVID-19, in which the entire varsity squad was required to sit out in the district finals against Carrollwood Day.

Forced to play with their junior varsity squad instead, the Hurricanes suffered a major 69-25 defeat — therefore requiring them to navigate the playoff season entirely on the road.

But they handled the challenge well, downing Clearwater Calvary Christian (62-48), Carrollwood Day (84-66) and Fort Myers Canterbury  (47-42) in regionals to advance to the state final four, then beating Jacksonville Andrew Jackson (79-71) in the semifinals before ultimately losing in the championship game. “Our road to states was pretty much on the road,” said Derrick Sharp.

Meanwhile, the program faced a strategically built challenging regular season schedule from November to February.

This included trips to face large in-state schools like Orlando Dr. Phillips and Punta Gorda Charlotte, as well as premier out-of-state tournaments like the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the Hurricanes went up against state powerhouses, including North Carolina’s Greensboro Day School and Ohio’s Archbishop Moeller, among others.

The arduous collection of road games and foes was designed to give Hurricanes players a taste of tougher competition and intensity level; the team can expect another rough slate again next season.

Said Derrick Sharp: “I didn’t care if we won those games or lost them, I just wanted the guys to get that experience and get battle-tested, and that kind of is what ultimately helped us (in the state tournament), so, that’s definitely what we’re going to look for when we’re setting our schedule (in 2022).

He added: “Look at Calvary, they went 17-7, but all their losses were against tough teams and it made them tougher, and it showed in that fourth quarter where they were down and they came out and kind of punched us in the face, and that’s what we have to learn, that type of toughness if we want to be champions…”

2020-2021 Bishop McLaughlin boys basketball roster
Javy Barber, 6-foot-3 junior guard
Christopher Cruz, 6-foot-4 freshman guard
Xavier Finney, 6-foot-2 sophomore guard
Anthony Davis Jr., 6-foot-5 junior guard
Dillon Mitchell, 6-foot-8 junior forward
Emanuel Sharp, 6-foot-4 junior guard
Joshua Watkins, 6-foot-6 junior guard
Matthew Webster, 6-foot-8 junior center/forward
Will Willard, 6-foot-1 sophomore guard

Coaching staff
Derrick Sharp, head coach
Kenneth McDonald, assistant
Richard Bryant, assistant

2020-2021 Bishop McLaughlin boys basketball schedule
Nov. 23: Clearwater Academy International (88-77 win)
Dec. 1: Clearwater Calvary Christian (76-60 win)
Dec. 3: American Collegiate Academy (75-55 win)
Dec. 5: West Nassau (52-50 loss)
Dec. 8: Tampa Catholic (76-71 overtime win)
Dec. 9: Land O’ Lakes (80-34 win)
Dec. 12: King (76-49 win)
Dec. 19: Admiral Farragut (80-60 win)
Dec. 21: Dr. Phillips (65-53 loss)
Dec. 22: Pine Ridge (93-50 win)
Dec. 26: South Carolina Cheraw (79-38 win)
Dec. 29: North Carolina Greensboro Day School (66-56 loss)
Dec. 30: South Carolina Gray Collegiate Academy (83-71 win)
Dec. 31: Ohio Archbishop Moeller (56-50 loss)
Jan. 2: Central Pointe Christian Academy (63-60 win)
Jan. 3: Potter’s House Christian (60-45 win)
Jan. 5: Windemere Prep (72-64 loss)
Jan. 22: Bayshore Christian (81-68 win)
Jan. 23: Charlotte (69-58 win)
Jan. 28: Fivay (90-56 win)
Feb. 2: Berkeley Prep (52-47 win)
Feb. 5: Mitchell (87-63 win)
Feb. 9: Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate (70-36 win)
Feb.13: Carrollwood Day (69-25 loss)

2021 FHSAA Class 3A Boys Basketball State Tournament
Feb. 18: Clearwater Calvary Christian— region quarterfinals (62-48 win)
Feb. 23: Carrollwood Day — region semifinals (84-66 win)
Feb. 26: Fort Myers Canterbury — region finals (47-42 win)
March 3: Jacksonville Andrew Jackson — state semifinals (79-71 win)
March 5: Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian Academy — state championship (85-76 overtime loss)

Published March 10, 2021

Sunlake falls short of state title bid

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They were just one win shy from reaching the Class 7A state tournament.

Yet, as the performance in their first-ever region final would indicate, Sunlake’s varsity girls basketball team still has some work to get there.

The Seahawks (17-9) — the last girls hoops squad standing in Pasco County — suffered a devastating 66-24 loss to Orlando Edgewater (16-14) on Feb. 17 at Wiregrass Ranch High School.

Sunlake fell one win shy of reaching the Class 7A state tournament. However, they return all but one player for the 2017-2018 season.
(Kevin Weiss)

A sizable Seahawks crowd — loud and proud in pre-game warmups — was quickly silenced as Edgewater roared to a blazing 24-0 start, less than 7 minutes through the opening quarter.

The Eagles attacked Sunlake’s 2-3 zone, mostly by hitting 3s, drawing fouls and getting second-chance opportunities.

Edgewater’s well-rounded athleticism and on-ball traps, too, proved a problem for the Seahawks throughout the contest.

The first Sunlake points finally came with 51 seconds left in the first quarter — a three-point play by 5-foot-10 junior guard Elizabeth Moran, who led the team with eight points.

It was far from enough, though.

By halftime, Edgewater’s lead grew to 53-16.

A running clock ensued in the second half.

For the game, Edgewater made 18 three-pointers, and out-rebounded the Seahawks 27-12.

Edgewater, which has won four state championships since 2007, is now playing in the state tournament for the sixth time in 10 years.

Despite the lopsided defeat, Seahawks coach Reesa Hendrix Pledge remained upbeat.

“Sometimes you’re just not ready,” Hendrix Pledge said, honestly. “But, we’ll be ready next year. We’ll be back.”

There’s a solid chance of that, considering Sunlake has just one senior— guard Cheyenne Yucatonis — graduating from a team that returns five juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen.

“They’re babies,” Hendrix Pledge said. “There’s two of them that started last year, and the rest of them are just now playing.”

The 2016-2017 season, she noted, was more about “coming together as a team.”

“The greatest thing,” Hendrix Pledge said, “is they love each other more, and they fight for each other.”

Sunlake’s final basket of the season, fittingly, was scored by Yucatonis. The senior was subsequently pulled out of the game as a show of gratitude for her contributions to the program.

“She’s meant everything,” Hendrix Pledge said. “She’s worked hard, she’s been the first one to practice, she’s been the one that helps clean up, she’s (taught) them what it takes to work year-round and to get better.

“That’s what we needed this year — that leadership — and she showed it.”

Prior to the setback to Edgewater, Sunlake won four consecutive playoff games, defeating Springstead twice, Land O’ Lakes and Brandon high schools.

Elsewhere in our coverage area, the Carrollwood Day School’s varsity girls basketball team advanced to the state tournament for the first time in school history. Under first-year coach Karim Nohra, the Patriots (27-2) are heading to Lakeland to play in the Class 3A state semifinal, following a 51-43 victory over Orlando Christian Prep in the region final on Feb. 14.

Nohra previously guided Academy at the Lakes to the final four in five of his six years before departing to CDS in October.

The Patriots enter the state tournament with youth — and lots of it. The roster of 10 players includes just two sophomores, six freshmen, an eighth grader and a seventh grader. Additionally, all five starters are freshman, including top player Tiasia McMillan, a guard who averages 15.8 points and 7.6 rebounds.

Key returnees for Sunlake in 2017-2018

  • Andrea Wallace, junior center: 11.9 PPG, 13.0 RPG, 2.2 blocks per game
  • Mary Moran, junior guard: 9.6 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.5 steals per game (SPG)
  • Kasia Ramirez, junior guard: 8.3 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 2.1 SPG

Published February 22, 2017

Antiques from rustic to elegant at Shabby Shack

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Golf can wait – at least for now. Antiques are so much more fun.

So, Laura Sanderson has put her golf career on hold, and has set up shop at Shabby Shack Antiques & Vintage.

The shop’s name is a twist on the Bill Murray movie, “Caddyshack,” a classic comedy about what else – golf.

But, let’s forget golf for the moment.

Inside Shabby Shack, antiques and collectibles fill the floors, nooks and crannies of seven rooms.

Elephants are the motif for a pair of table art decorations at Shabby Shack. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
Elephants are the motif for a pair of table art decorations at Shabby Shack.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

The wares are from personal family treasures, garage sales and thrift stores.

“This has been a passion of my whole family, collecting antiques and unusual things,” said Sanderson. “I’m at a point in my career when it was good to put it on pause, and go for it,” Sanderson said.

She is the new owner of the former Family Treasures’ property. That long-time business on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard bought and sold coins, metal detectors and collectibles.

The location also once operated as an antique shop, known as Calamity Jane.

Shabby Shack, at 4312 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., is stepping out with its own sense of style.

Sanderson asked her family members to “thin out” their antiques at home, and bring them to Shabby Shack.

On weekends, she also combs through garage sales and thrift shops on the lookout for the one-of-a-kind item.

Laura Sanderson is putting her golf career on hold for another passion – antiques. She opened Shabby Shack in October.
Laura Sanderson is putting her golf career on hold for another passion – antiques. She opened Shabby Shack in October.

“It’s not straight antiques. I have modern too, if it’s unusual,” she said. “I like things that have form and function.”

Her favorites are art deco and mid-century Modern.

In her spare time, she goes creative and repurposes what seems to have lost its function. An old camera with a flash attachment, for instance, becomes a lamp. Map pages from an atlas become the foundation for wreaths.

A large, wooden biplane hangs from a ceiling, waiting for its transformation.

“It would be the perfect lamp hanging over a pool table,” said Sanderson, who is a graduate of Brandon High School.

She began playing golf as a youngster, but didn’t become a professional golfer until age 40.

She worked for more than 25 years as a golf pro at area country clubs, including The Groves and Meadow Oaks.

She moved to Land O’ Lakes about six years ago.

Shabby Shack is in a spot along U.S. 41 that Sanderson hopes is ready for redevelopment.

A large, wooden biplane hangs from a ceiling at Shabby Shack. Shop owner Laura Sanderson thinks it would make a perfect hanging lamp over a pool table.
A large, wooden biplane hangs from a ceiling at Shabby Shack. Shop owner Laura Sanderson thinks it would make a perfect hanging lamp over a pool table.

“I believe in Land O’ Lakes,” she said. “I so badly want to see something happen along U.S. 41.”

And, she’s eager for Shabby Shack to be a part of that transformation.

On a mid-day on Tuesday, Land O’ Lakes resident Margaret Dillard dropped by to purchase a pulley. She had her eye on it for a few days.

“I don’t know where you’re shopping (for antiques), but you’re getting some mighty nice things,” she told Sanderson.

Dillard said she enjoys the surprises that can be found at Shabby Shack. The shop caters to all tastes from rustic to elegant, she said.

Sanderson said her goal at the shop is to “turn, turn, turn. I want new truckloads every week. I don’t want stale inventory.”

Merchandise generally is priced on the lower end of the scale, from $3 to $200.

Sanderson’s husband helps with lawn maintenance around the property, which also has a smaller building in the rear. Sanderson hopes to rent that out, possibly for another antiques space.

For now, Shabby Shack is pretty much a one-woman show.

“I’m just stepping out on a leap of faith,” Sanderson said.

What: Shabby Shack Antiques & Vintage
Where: 4312 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Information: (813) 501-4900

Published November 18, 2015