Basketball Recap: John Smith Key Part of a Team Effort in Hurricanes Win

Lake Weir hadn't done well against Umatilla recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Lake Weir Hurricanes came out on top in a nail-biter against the Umatilla Bulldogs, sneaking past 57-55. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Hurricanes.

Lake Weir's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but John Smith led the charge by putting up 12 points and eight rebounds. That's the most rebounds Smith has posted since back in December of 2023. Angel Henderson was another key player, going 6 of 11 on his way to 17 points.

Several Bulldogs players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Shawn Donovan, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 15 boards. Donovan's 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 Ray Jenkins, who posted ten points and five rebounds.

Lake Weir has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 55.0 points per game. As for Umatilla, their loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 0-3.

Lake Weir will take on Eastside in a tournament on Saturday. Eastside has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. Umatilla will take on Belleview in a holiday battle at at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday.