There's no place like home for the Springstead Eagles, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road on Monday. They took their matchup at home on Tuesday with ease, bagging a 64-35 win over Hernando. Given Springstead's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 256th, while the Leopards are ranked 554th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Austin Nicholson, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds and three steals. He also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Sam Franco, who scored 12 points.
Several Leopards players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Jesse Stewart, who dropped a double-double on ten points and ten rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Daniel Merizalde, who scored nine points.
Springstead pushed their record up to 14-9 with that victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.8 points per game. As for Hernando, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-13 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Springstead and the Bulldogs will face off at 7:30 p.m. on February 2nd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. As for Hernando, they will be playing at home against the Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
