Basketball Recap: Hernando Makes It Three in a Row on the Road

Hernando won the last time they faced Academy at the Lakes, and Daniel Merizalde did his part to make sure it happened again. Everything went the Hernando Leopards' way against the Academy at the Lakes Wildcats on Friday as the Hernando Leopards made off with a 65-40 win thanks in part to Merizalde, who went 8 of 12 on his way to 20 points and seven rebounds. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points.

The team also got some help courtesy of Blake Williams, who posted ten points and five rebounds. He is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last three games he's played.

Hernando's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 62.7 points per game. As for Academy at the Lakes, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-6.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hernando and Bishop McLaughlin Catholic will round out the year against one another at at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Hernando has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 191 points over their last three matchups. As for Academy at the Lakes, they will get a bit of extra time to process the defeat as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Hernando at 4:00 p.m. on January 3, 2025.