SIDELINES

+ Lady Pirates go 2-1 in holiday tournament
The Braden River High girls basketball team finished 2-1 in the holiday tournament Dec. 27 to Dec. 29.

The Lady Pirates opened the tournament with a 51-46 loss to Steinbrenner, which was ranked No. 10 in the state at the time. Cheyenne Ogline finished with 16 points and seven steals. Kelly Logan added 11 points .
On Dec. 28, Braden River rebounded with a 48-43 victory over Gulf High.

The Lady Pirates closed out the tournament with a 41-37 victory over Wiregrass Dec. 29. Erica Glisson and Logan scored nine points apiece, and Stout added eight points to lead the way for Braden River.
Braden River returns to action Jan. 10 versus Booker.

+ Falkner Farms wins tournament championship
The Falkner Farms Blue Lightning 8U team won the Miss Manatee Softball Tournament Championship last month.

The fourth-seeded Blue Lightning opened the tournament with a 15-6 victory over Grainer Farms.

The team fell short of the win as Vogel Construction came from behind in the sixth inning to defeat Falkner Farms 5-4.

The Blue Lightning returned to action the following night and walked away with a 10-1 victory over second-seeded Ann Rose.

Falkner Farms followed up its win with an 11-6 victory over Hungry Howies to earn a spot in the championship game.

In the championship game, Falkner Farms defeated Vogel Construction 7-5. With Vogel Construction suffering its first loss of the season, a second game was needed to determine the tournament champion. In the second game, Falkner Farms defeated Vogel Construction 11-5 to win the tournament title.

+ LRLL spring registration upcoming
Lakewood Ranch Little League will host registration for its upcoming spring 2013 season from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 12 and Jan. 19, at the Lakewood Ranch Ballpark.

Registration fees are $75 for T-ball and coach pitch; $130 for AA machine pitch, $175 for Minors and $190 for Majors and Juniors. Sibling discounts are also available. Those interested in registering need to bring a birth certificate, proof of residency and cash or a check payable to LWRLL. Opening day is scheduled for Feb. 16.

For information contact Troy Branham at tbranham@LWR LittleLeague.com or visit LWRLittleLeague.com.

+ Miss Manatee Softball announces registration dates for spring season
Miss Manatee Softball will host registration for its spring 2013 season from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 12 and Jan. 19 and from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 16, at the Miss Manatee Softball Complex.

Registration is open to all girls ages 5 to 16.

Registration fees are $45 for T-ball and $135 for all other divisions. Additional children are $85 each.
Sponsorship opportunities also are available.

For more information and to register contact Mike Schaefer at 539-7225 or visit Missmanateesoftball.org.

+ Lakewood Ranch Marauders to hold tryouts Sunday
The Lakewood Ranch Marauders Black 11U travel team will hold tryouts from noon to 2 p.m. Jan. 13, at the Lakewood Ranch Ballpark.

The team is seeking players who love baseball and want to learn the game and improve their fundamentals.
For more information contact coach Todd Thoma at 920-2974.

+ Lady Mustang commits to USF
Lakewood Ranch High senior Natalie Novak recently committed to run cross-country and track for the University of South Florida.

Novak helped lead the Lady Mustangs to a state championship and a new school record in the 4x800 meter relay at the Class 3A State Championships last spring. Most recently, Novak finished 26th overall in 19:25.11 at the Class 3A Cross-Country Finals Nov. 17 to help lead the Lady Mustangs to fifth-place finish — their fourth consecutive top five state meet finish.

Novak also visited DePaul University in Chicago, but USF proved to be the right fit.