Largo High's Marques Hall Excels in Classroom and the Court

The point guard for Largo High School already has his college plans set if he can't land a basketball scholarship.

If Largo High School basketball player Marques Hall can be described as anything, it's driven. On the basketball court, despite the Packers having a winning record, Hall is not satisfied. "We are not as successful as we could be," Hall said. "We haven't played team ball like we should. When we do, we are almost unbeatable." It's that same mindset that makes Hall also almost unbeatable in the classroom. The 5-foot-10-inch guard is as driven with  his studies as he is on the basketball court. He currently holds at 4.2 GPA. If he gets a basketball scholarship, great. If not, he already has college plans. "If I get a scholarship to play basketball, I'm gone," Hall said. "If not, I'm going to Florida State to study law." It's that type of work …

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Robert Kearney's Unselfish Ways Help Keep Packers Strong in District

Largo forward Robert Kearney is finally recovered from an injury that forced him to miss his junior season and is helping the Packers stay afloat in district play.

In years past, Largo was one of the state's dominant teams. While still good, the Packers are not their normal dominant self. Boca Ciega is the king of the district, still undefeated. Gibbs is very good. Northeast is solid. Seminole is dangerous. But Largo isn't a slouch. "We are alright," Largo forward Robert Kearney said, "We have a lot of good players." One of those is Kearney himself, though Kearney likely wouldn't say as much. Confident in his skills, Kearney may finally be coming into his own. A senior, Kearney missed all of his junior year with a right knee injury he suffered during preseason conditioning workouts. In a 72-71 loss earlier this week to rival Clearwater, Kearney racked up a double-double, 13 points and 11 rebounds. …

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Pinellas Park's Upset Win May be Turning Point

The Patriots boys basketball team ended a dreadful six-game losing streak in its upset over Northeast.

Get ready for the district tournament. That's what most basketball coaches want to do. Wins are nice, but getting a team ready to play for a postseason run is often a high school basketball coach's goal. Jon Cabino is no different. The Pinellas Park boys basketball coach has watched his team mired in a six-game losing streak. That streak ended with an impressive 60-56 upset for Northeast on the road this week. One of the first things out of Cabino's mouth after the game was about being ready for the district tournament. "We needed it, we needed it," Cabino said of the win. "It was just a tough stretch of games we went through. I told [the team] this was a game where we had to get back on track. "Hopefully we can start peaking for the …

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Rout Of Countryside Doesn't Please Largo Coach

Packers boys basketball squad prepares for a week that may define their season.

By just glancing at the score, it was a well-played rout of Countryside by the Largo High School boys basketball squad. But peel away the onion skin with Packers coach Phil Price and he wasn't all that pleased despite the 67-45 win. "We have to do a little better," Price said. Part of that rationale was what lies directly ahead for Largo. There's a showdown with undefeated Boca Ciega High School of Gulfport, a game against heated rival and perennial state power Clearwater sandwiched between the two games is a very solid team like Gibbs. In short, next week will be a challenge. As a result, Price didn't want to see any slacking, even against an inferior team like Countryside. Price didn't get his wish. "Countryside began to play slopped in …

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Week in Review

Here's a recap of breaking news and features covered by our Largo Patch team this week.

The Pie Factory: Sweet Goodness Key Lime Pies: At 71 years old Bobbie Barmore, the passionate key lime pie chef and owner of The Pie Factory in Largo for 20 years, shares her love for key lime pies. The Pie Factory makes an average of 1,500 to 2,000 pies a week which are sold via retail, wholesale and online. There are 35 types of pies on the menu, but key lime is still Barmore's favorite.  Woman, 22, Killed in Car Crash, Police Seek Witnesses: Jessica Lynn Guarino, 22, from St. Petersburg was driving southbound on U.S. 19 near the 150th Avenue at 7:15 p.m. when she hit a concrete barrier and light pole on Monday. She was ejected from the vehicle and died as a result of her injuries. Heritage Village Holiday Decorations: Every year …

Health Issue Too Close to Home Motivates Pinellas Park Basketball Coach to Help Others

With a family member and a personal friend afflicted with lupus, Pinellas Park boys basketball coach Jon Cabino hopes to start an annual tradition to help others stricken with the disease.

A week before Christmas, Jon Cabino decided to use his profession -- he's the head boys basketball coach at Pinellas Park High School -- to raise awareness and funds for lupus victims. Per the Lupus Foundation of America website, lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body (skin, joints, and/or organs inside the body). It is not contagious. The numbers on the scoreboard at the game were not important. The numbers that came later were. In an exhibition between Pinellas Park High School and St. Petersburg Catholic, the game raised at least $1,100 Cabino said. "And that's without the gate." After the school district is paid for the use of Pinellas Park's gym, the total amount of money raised could jump to $1,…

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