The Lecanto Panthers waltzed into their game on Wednesday with two straight wins but they left with three. They walked away with a 40-29 victory over Nature Coast Tech. Given Lecanto's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 145th, while Nature Coast Tech is ranked 322nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Lecanto to victory were Ijyana Edwards and Bryleigh Florio. Edwards scored 14 points along with four steals, while Florio scored 13 points along with three steals. Florio is absolutely dominating the steal category: she's posted at least two every time she's taken the court this season. Xena Bellamy was another key contributor, scoring two points along with eight rebounds and four steals.
Nature Coast Tech's loss came despite strong showings from Jaida Grier and Quintara Norwood. Grier dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds, while Norwood scored eight points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
Lecanto's win bumped their record up to 11-4. As for Nature Coast Tech, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-6 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Lecanto will face off against Leesburg at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Leesburg will be looking to keep their six-game home win streak alive. As for Nature Coast Tech, they will head out on the road to take on Gulf at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Gulf focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 21 on Tuesday.
