If Hernando was riding high fresh off their 70-45 takedown of Weeki Wachee last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Hernando Leopards took a 71-56 bruising from the Dunnellon Tigers on Wednesday. The Leopards haven't had much luck with the Tigers recently, as the team's come up short the last five times they've met.
Despite the loss, Hernando still got an impressive performance from Daniel Merizalde, who went 7 for 13 on his way to 19 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Sam Jackson, who posted 12 points.
Dunnellon's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Eli Nelson, who went 9 of 11 on his way to 18 points. Nelson is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Sean Martin was another key player, going 6 of 11 on his way to 18 points along with six assists and four steals.
Hernando's loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-3. As for Dunnellon, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Hernando will venture away from home to challenge Academy at the Lakes at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Hernando is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 56.9 points per game this season. As for Dunnellon, a feisty cat fight will be fought when the Dunnellon Tigers challenge the Lecanto Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Lecanto will roll in looking for their ninth straight victory, something Dunnellon surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
