Hernando was the 54-42 winner over Crystal River when they last played one another back in January, but their luck changed this time around. The Hernando Leopards fell just short of the Crystal River Pirates by a score of 55-52 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Leopards have suffered against the Pirates since January 8, 2021.
Hernando's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Daniel Merizalde, who went 6 for 13 en route to 14 points plus three steals. Merizalde is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. Joseph Rivera was another key player, going 5 for 10 en route to 10 points plus seven assists and three steals.
Even though they lost, Hernando was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matches.
Crystal River's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jake Yost led the charge by posting 12 points plus three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Ej Jenkins, who scored ten points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Hernando moved to 4-2 with that defeat, which also ended their four-game winning streak. As for Crystal River, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Hernando will welcome Angeline Academy of Innovation at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Hernando is facing Angeline Academy of Innovation at the right time seeing as Angeline Academy of Innovation is stuck on a five-game losing streak. As for Crystal River, they will square off against Lecanto at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Lecanto will roll in looking for their fourth straight victory, something Crystal River surely won't give up without a fight.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
