Athlete Of The Week

Mariah Dowdell, Southeast Girls Basketball

The senior point guard and the Seminoles will play for the program's 12th straight district championship Friday night. Dowdell, who carries a 3.1 GPA, is averaging 13 points, seven assists and five steals this season.

What other sports have you played?: I started running track in elementary school, but basketball came first. I had to give (track) up. How have you been able to bounce back from three knee injuries since eighth grade?: Dedication and hard work pay off. A lot of people told me to just give basketball up and pursue other things, but basketball is what makes me happy. What is it like playing basketball for Southeast?: It's a great feeling to be part of this legacy and to play for a Hall of Fame coach like Coach (John) Harder. That's why we have to win the district (tournament) because I refuse to break the cycle. If you don't receive a scholarship offer to play basketball in college, what school would you like to attend?: UT (University of …

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Bayshore Girls Guzzle Smoothie King Championship

Spearrin's late steal helps clinch Bruins' win over Braden River in final.

Brooklyn Spearrin paused and tried to recall her game-changing steal that occurred just minutes prior, the theft with 15 seconds left that cinched a 40-38 win for Bayshore High. After a few moments, she giggled when she remembered the play: as Bradenton Christian attempted to tie, or take the lead, Spearrin snatched the ball away from the BCS point guard. Bayshore was fouled and sunk free throws in the final seconds. "The ball was there," Spearrin said, her hands demonstrating a ball swipe, "and I took it." In doing so, Bayshore (6-6) won the Smoothie King Classic girls title for the first time in the tournament's four-year history. Host BCS (9-3) won last season. Although Spearrin's defense flipped the game in the Bruins' favor, her 15 …

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Noles Girls Drop Clemons Classic Consolation Game

Southeast High stumbles in 20-point loss to Jupiter to close out tournament 1-2.

A day after dropping a double-overtime heartbreaker to Seminole High, the Southeast girls ran out of gas in the Sunset Division consolation finals of the Willie Clemons Classic. The Noles suffered a 47-27 loss to Jupiter on Wednesday afternoon on their home court at Benjamin "Buzz" Narbut Memorial Gymnasium. Southeast was stung by cold shooting early -- the team shot 3-for-15 from the floor in the first half -- and couldn't climb out of a 29-7 halftime hole. Freshman Deangela Mathis led the Noles with eight points. Senior point guard Mariah Dowdell, playing with a black brace on her right knee a day after tweaking it in a collision with a Seminole High player, scored four points and was named to the all-tournament team. Earlier Wednesday, …

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Southeast Girls Fall To Seminole In 2OT At Clemons Classic

Young Noles miss their chance to test themselves against defending state champ Tampa Catholic.

With three freshmen starting for the Southeast High girls basketball team, longtime coach John Harder expected some growing pains this season. A loss like Tuesday's really aches. Harder watched his young Noles squander a nine-point fourth-quarter lead in an eventual 52-50 double-overtime loss to Seminole in the semifinals of the Willie Clemons Classic's Sunset Division at Southeast High. "I'm gonna be sleepless tonight," Harder said. "This was a golden opportunity to do something special, and we lost that opportunity." Southeast held a 21-17 halftime advantage and had Seminole (9-5) on the ropes until things began to unravel in the fourth. Caitlin Stevison's lay-in with 21 seconds remaining capped a 10-0 Seminole run and gave the visitors…

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Southeast, Manatee Girls End Up On Opposite Ends of Blowouts

Host Seminoles post 47-10 over Dunedin in first round of the Willie Clemons Girls Holiday Basketball Classic; Manatee suffers 62-26 loss to Jupiter

When given the choice between being a congenial host and keeping his team sharp, Southeast High's John Harder took the former. Harder, who also doubles as the tournament director of the seventh annual Willie Clemons Girls Holiday Basketball Classic, figured his Seminoles would not get a competitive first-round game after Dunedin High arrived at the Benjamin "Buzz" Narbut Memorial Gymnasium on Monday with five players. So, he made sure that 10 of his players scratched the scoring column and did his best to keep the score down in an eventual 47-10 victory. "Credit goes to Dunedin because they had two girls with the flu, one who had to go to New York at the last minute, and one of their players is still out on the highway lost," Harder said…

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Girls Basketball Tournament Honors Clemons' Legacy

For the seventh straight year, Southeast High's Benjamin "Buzz" Narbut Memorial Gymnasium will host the Willie Clemons Girls Holiday Basketball Classic.

When presenting a grand vision, all the seemingly insignificant details matter. Over the course of the three-day Willie Clemons Girls Holiday Basketball Classic, Southeast High head coach John Harder and athletic director Paul Maechtle will find themselves taking on such menial tasks as setting up the concession stand, taking tickets, sweeping the floors and taking out the garbage. Maechtle may also be drafted to work the scoreboard and game clock. With 16 teams taking the court on Monday for the first day of the seventh annual event, it will be the first of two consecutive 16-hour days for Harder and Maechtle. They will catch a break when a four-game slate, which consists of third-place games in the Sunrise and Sunset divisions and the …

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John Harder, Southeast Girls Take A Drink From Fountain Of Youth

Noles continues their winning ways despite starting two freshmen on its varsity squad for the first time in coach's 28-year tenure at Southeast High.

In his 28 years spent roaming the Southeast High sidelines at Benjamin "Buzz" Narbut Memorial Gymnasium, John Harder has never had to walk in these shoes before. Not even the infamous orange jumpsuit could've prepared the Hall of Fame coach for this scenario in his storied program. Harder has always been blessed with a bounty of experienced talent on his varsity team. But the 2010-11 campaign has introduced a plethora of youngsters into the fold. It's a new look for the 62-year old Harder, who still spends his off time washing cars to raise money for his players and has yet to miss one of his girls' games. Harder has never had more than one freshman start or be a key contributor on any of his Noles squad, a span that has stretched over …

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