Lecanto braces for rough road

Lecanto's schedule is about to get tough.

Real tough.

The Panthers (9-3, 3-0 in Class 4A, District 7) play at seventh-ranked Leesburg (16-2, 2-0) tonight in a key district game, then turn around and play Land O'Lakes on Saturday and Citrus next week.

Lecanto has more than a few quality wins, but this stretch is where coach Chris Nichols will find out what his team is made of.

"Leesburg is a pretty good team," Nichols said. "Its tallest starter is only about 6-3, and everybody else is in the 5-foot-9 range. But they're very quick, and they put a lot of pressure on the ball.

"It's going to be important for us to get through their press and make sure we're running our offense."

Leesburg, an elite eight squad last season when it went 28-6, appears to be even better in 2002. The Yellow Jackets' only losses are to Class A-No. 2 Miami Christian (in the final of the prestigious Kingdom of the Sun Tournament in Ocala), and Orlando Edgewater, second in Class 6A.

"We've got a lot of experience," Leesburg coach Chad Keller said.

"We lost Marlyn Bryant (now at South Florida), and everybody counted us out. But we only lost one starter, one key player, and that was him. We have seven of our top eight back."

Leesburg's backcourt is its strength. Guard-forward Brandon Kelly, a McDonald's All-American nominee, averages a team-best 15 points. Kelly and shooting guard Francis Cuyler were all-state selections last year.

"Lecanto is a hard-nosed team," Keller said. "That's the thing I respect about them. The kids play extremely hard, they're physical and they come to play. Coach Nichols does a good job with them."

Despite its success, Leesburg is getting little respect from poll voters.

"It (bothers us) a little bit, but that's not what we're working toward," Keller said.

ON A ROLL: Citrus coach Jimmy Thomas said during the preseason the Hurricanes would be solid.

He wasn't kidding. Citrus enters tonight's home game against South Sumter 11-2.

The 'Canes have lost only to Belleview, one of the region's top teams, and Turner Carroll (69-45) of New York in the final of the Jim Clay Invitational at Orlando Bishop Moore. Three Turner Carroll players are headed to Division I-A schools.

"We're pretty much right on track," Thomas said. "Now we've got to turn it up a notch and see if we can get to another level."

Thomas' biggest concern is Citrus' depth, or lack thereof. The starting five is solid, but only center Brandon Greene and guard Mike Bass have given the Hurricanes strong minutes off the bench.

"That's the thing that's hurt us the most," Thomas said. "We're trying to move in some more players. I've got the challenge out right now to the other group to step up. They're trying to. I can't say enough about how hard all of them work."

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