Sickles, Chamberlain softball continue to roll

TAMPA -- Jackie Leppla is on a roll.

The Sickles softball pitcher has been outstanding as of late and the Gryphons have been the biggest benefactor. In games on Tuesday and Wednesday, Leppla threw a no-hitter, posted two shutouts and helped Sickles run its season record to 17-3. Against Blake, Leppla allowed no hits and struck out nine in a 14-0 Gryphons win. Her next outing was a four-hit, 3-0 shutout win against Plant. Sickles is ranked third in Class 4A.

Chamberlain, meanwhile, took a cue from the Gryphons in their 22-0 win against King. The Chiefs scored 11 runs in the second and 10 in the third en route to the victory. The 18-5 Chiefs got doubles from Amanda Cody and Niki Trowell. However, the big win didn't keep Chamberlain from slipping a notch on the Class 5A state poll, where the Chiefs are now ranked fourth.

In other action, Clarissa Davis and Allison Ennis combined on a three-hitter for Leto to shutout Alonso 6-0. And Gaither slumped to 8-13 on the season after a 6-4 loss to East Bay.

BASEBALL: Sickles continues to cruise toward the district playoffs after two more wins last week. The Gryphons have won 10 straight games after topping Chamberlain 5-3 and Blake 14-2. Brian Scoville picked up the save against the Chiefs; Justin Nickolich and Adam Drury got the win against the YellowJackets. Nickolich hit a double and a three-run home run while Drury pitched a complete game. Drury (4-0) allowed two hits and struck out four Blake batters.

Other games saw Gaither pitcher Josh Joiner throw a complete game, six-hit win against East Bay. Joiner struck out four as the Cowboys won 3-2 to improve to 15-8 on the year. And Leto topped Alonso 11-2 behind the three-hit pitching of Sergio Perez while Wharton fell 14-4 to Hillsborough despite a double by Nick Cardieri.

BOYS BASKETBALL: Several area athletes were honored Wednesday when the Tampa Bay Basketball Coaches Association handed out its season-ending awards. Chamberlain's Otis White and Willie Patrick, Leto's Jonathan Abreu, Wharton's Maurice Johnson, Sickles' Carl Powell and Gaither's Antonio Russell and Brandon Harrison were named to the All-Star Team. Gaither's Alex Grace and Jon Huebner and Leto's Douglas Howard and Vincent Ariel Serrano were named to the Academic All-Star Team. And Leto coach Derek Stewart was honored with a Bill Poe Foundation for Success Award.

GIRLS BASKETBALL: The honors continue to pile up for Wharton's Candice Dupree. A Wildcat senior, Wharton has been named to the Class 5A All-State Girls Basketball team. A 6-foot-2 center, Dupree was named to the second-team after averaging 23 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks per game.

Dupree, who led the Wildcats to a district championship this past season, has signed a scholarship with Temple University. Also named all-state was Chamberlain's Courtney Wilder. A 5-foot-10, senior forward, Wilder was named All-State honorable mention.

MORE GIRLS BASKETBALL: Former Sickles coach Jackie Mertroka has been named girls coach at the new Middleton High. Mertroka, the only coach in the program's five years, led the Gryphons to a 25-1 mark and district title during the 2000-01 season.

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