Gaither Finishes Well at Wharton Invitational

With winter break now in full swing, Carrollwood prep sports action is winding down. Still, the past week has had a few ups and downs for local teams.

Here's a look at what's happening with Gaither and Carrollwood Day School's teams.

Gaither

Soccer: Boys - The Gaither boys completed the 2011 season with a runner-up finish at the Wharton Invitational. The boys beat Freedom, Lennard and Wharton 3-2 in group play. Then, Tuesday afternoon, they knocked off Bloomingdale 1-0 in the semifinals. Wharton beat Steinbrenner as the No. 2 seed and it set up a rematch for the final.

Sophomore midfielder Jordan Lue scored first for Wharton but Gaither came right back with a header for goal by junior midfielder Tyler Helm. Freshman defender Martin Ozores scored with 15 minutes left for Wharton and it was just enough to lift the home-team Wildcats to the first victory at their own tournament.

Still, the runner-up finish and five competitive games close together were a good tune-up going into the holiday break for the Cowboys.

"We're starting to figure out what kind of team we are," said head coach Eric Sims. "We're starting to find the right combination of players; we think we know who our team is now."

The boys are 11-4-1 heading into the break. They maintain a 3-1 4A District 8 record that has them in second place behind Steinbrenner.

Girls - The Gaither girls finished last week with a 0-2 loss to Wiregrass Ranch. They arrive at a 5-5-1 mark going into the break.

Basketball: Boys - The boys sit at 1-6 after dropping a 52-36 game to rival Sickles. They faced Wiregrass Ranch last Friday but the result has not been reported.

Girls - The girls rounded out 2011 with losses at Sickles (72-12) and at Wiregrass Ranch (61-12). They fall to 3-10 and hope that the holiday break helps them reset.

Wrestling: Gaither wrestling has yet to report a score from its first two meets.

Carrollwood Day School

Soccer: Girls - Despite a roaring start, the CDS girls soccer team has settled back down to earth and dropped its last two decisions to Tampa Prep (1-0) and Bishop MacLaughlin (3-2) to tumble to 6-2 going into the break.

Boys - The boys team could not find that elusive first win before the break. They dropped a 1-2 decision to Cambridge to wrap 2011. Their record sits at 0-4-1.

Basketball: Boys - The boys won their last two games to wrap 2011; a 63-23 win versus Out of Door Academy and a 70-29 win over Bishop Maclaughlin. The boys go into the break with a record of 4-5.

Girls - The girls team has not updated their record. At last look in they were 0-7-1 but they have several results that have not been reported.