The Lecanto Panthers entered their tilt with the Crystal River Pirates with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Lecanto blew past Crystal River, posting a 68-18 win at home. That looming 68-18 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Lecanto yet this season.
Lecanto found their leader in underclassman Jt Tipton, who scored 23 points along with eight rebounds and six assists. That makes it four consecutive games in which Tipton has scored at least 25% of Lecanto's points. Tez Joseph was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with six steals.
Despite the loss, Crystal River saw an underclassman step up: Ej Jenkins scored five points along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Jenkins also grabbed two steals for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Gavin Eddings, who scored two points along with seven rebounds.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Crystal River struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Lecanto pushed their record up to 3-1 with that win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 74.6 points per game. As for Crystal River, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.
Lecanto won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against South Sumter at 7:00 p.m. on December 6th. One thing working in South Sumter's favor is that they have posted big point totals every time they've taken the court this season. As for Crystal River, they will be playing at home against Bishop McLaughlin Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Bishop McLaughlin Catholic focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 30 on Monday.
