Basketball Recap: Crystal River Comes Up Short

Crystal River lost against Lecanto back in December of 2024 and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Thursday. The Crystal River Pirates had to suffer through a 74-41 loss at the hands of the Lecanto Panthers.

Crystal River's loss came despite strong showings from Keyrra Ruiz and Aidian Cordero Santana. Ruiz went 6 of 14 en route to 18 points and five rebounds, while Cordero Santana went 6 for 12 on her way to 15 points. That was a full 43.9% of Crystal River's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's posted more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Sara Amsbury, who put up three points and ten boards.

Lecanto's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Bryleigh Florio led the charge by almost dropping a double-double on 23 points and nine assists. Florio is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for four straight games. Another player making a difference was Sophie Barbieri, who went 6 for 8 on her way to 17 points and seven rebounds.

Crystal River has traveled a rocky road recently having lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-10 record this season. As for Lecanto, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 12-9.

Crystal River has already played their next game, a 68-36 loss against Springstead on the 28th. As for Lecanto, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 56-39 defeat against Weeki Wachee on the 28th.