Panthers, Nichols continue to shoot for consistency

The past week was a microcosm of Lecanto's season.

The Panthers looked good in victories over Crystal River and Dunnellon, but lost to Central by 13 points after trailing by two entering the fourth quarter.

At times, Lecanto was great. At times, it was mediocre.

"This is the time of year when you've got to play your best," Panthers coach Chris Nichols said. "Right now my focus is getting our guys focused on that fact.

"We need to play well now. It's been a battle, but we're going to keep working and see what happens."

Senior shooting guard Kyle Hamilton scored a career-high 31 points in Lecanto's 61-50 win at Crystal River. He followed that with another 31-point performance the next night as the Panthers beat Dunnellon 86-69.

Dunnellon defeated Lecanto by 11 in December.

"Kyle hit the 3-pointer, drove to the basket and got fouled quite a bit," Nichols said. "He really shot well at the line. Overall, he's had a good year. He's even played some point guard and has done well there."

Now for the bad.

Against Central, the Panthers' defense was subpar.

"We broke down quite a bit in the fourth quarter," Nichols said. "Several things were involved in those breakdowns. We spent (Wednesday) talking and trying to focus and get those areas corrected."

Lecanto plays host to Keystone Heights on Saturday night at 7. Next week, the Panthers play Hernando, Mitchell and Citrus to close the regular season.

The Hurricanes beat Lecanto 59-42 two weeks ago in Lecanto.

LOOKING UP: Crystal River has done a 180-degree turn in recent weeks.

After a horrible 0-8 start, the Pirates were 6-16 prior to Thursday night's game against Williston. Crystal River has been highly competitive against teams that pounded the Pirates early in the season.

Exhibit A: In meeting No. 1 with Dunnellon, Crystal River lost 58-33. Nine days later, it upset the Tigers 70-67.

Exhibit B: Lecanto beat the Pirates by 23 points in December, but won by only 11 last week. In the second defeat, Crystal River was 12 of 29 from the free-throw line.

"We played pretty well," Pirates coach Tony Stukes said. "Poor free-throw shooting hurt us. The kids played hard, but we had a couple of spurts here and there.

"In one 20-second stretch in the third quarter, (Lecanto) scored seven consecutive points and that really killed us. We were down five and it went to 12, and we never really recovered."

Backup forward Chris Bunch is the latest player to step up. He scored 12 points in a win over Ocala West Port, then had a season-high 17 against Lecanto.

"He's given us good minutes," Stukes said. "He's a strong defender. He's really improved his game."

The key to Crystal River's rise: confidence.

"As long as we continue to keep getting confident, that's what's important," Stukes said. "They've figured out how to play together, and once you get confidence, it's easier to play."

STAT OF THE WEEK: Seven Rivers Christian, 11-11 prior to Thursday night's game against Orlando West Oaks, started the season 4-9.

-- Coaches are asked to report results to (800) 333-7505, ext. 8123.

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