Lecanto is 8-2 against Springstead since December of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Lecanto Panthers will stay at home for another game and welcome the Springstead Eagles at 8:00 p.m. on December 12th. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Lecanto at home against Crystal River as the squad secured a 70-25 victory. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 51-17.
Lecanto's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Bryleigh Florio, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 10 steals, and Ijyana Edwards, who scored 24 points along with 7 assists and 6 rebounds. That makes it three consecutive games in which Florio has scored at least 25% of Lecanto's points. Aaliyah Beaver was another key contributor, dropping a double-double on 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Springstead narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Nature Coast Tech 35-33. Given Springstead's advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 107th, while Nature Coast Tech is ranked 278th), the result on Wednesday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Springstead's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Samantha Suarez, who scored 12 points. The matchup was Suarez's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Malanie Francis, who scored 6 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Their wins bumped Lecanto to 6-1 and Crystal River to 4-2.
Tuesday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy game: Lecanto haven't given up the ball easily this season, having only averaged 0 turnovers per game. It's a different story for Springstead, though, as they've been averaging 14.2 per game. Given Lecanto's sizeable advantage in that area, Springstead will need to find a way to close that gap. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more basketball content.
Lecanto came out on top in a nail-biter against Springstead in their previous meeting two weeks ago, sneaking past 41-38. Does Lecanto have another victory up their sleeve, or will Springstead turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.