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Still looking ahead
By FRANK PASTOR BROOKSVILLE -- For the secret to Bernice Mosby's success, don't look at her mountain of accomplishments. Consider instead the few things the Hernando senior failed to do -- and her response to them. After the Leopards lost to Titusville Astronaut in last season's region final, Mosby was determined to get her team to the state final four this year for the first time since her freshman season. Accounting for more than half of her squad's points, Mosby almost single-handedly willed Hernando back to the region final, where it lost to Orlando Bishop Moore. A few days ago, Mosby -- among 100 finalists -- learned she did not make the final cut for the inaugural McDonald's All-American Basketball Game. She was disappointed, but vowed to use the slight as motivation for her college career at Florida. "I don't really care about that, because I know how good I am and what I can do better than some other people," Mosby said. "I'm just going to have to show it to them next year." With Mosby, it never is about yesterday; it's always about tomorrow. After a junior season in which she scored her 1,000th point, led her the Leopards to the region final and made it onto the recruiting lists of the best college programs in the country, Mosby decided she needed to improve her game. So she spent the summer playing with the Clearwater Green Wave AAU team and worked on her defense and three-point shooting. Mosby rounded into an all-around player as a senior, averaging 27.6 points and 14.5 rebounds while becoming the first 2,000-point scorer in school history. After the season, she was recognized as the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 3A Player of the Year. Then, she went back to work. Mosby lifts weights every day at school, runs two miles with the track team, then goes to the Jerome Brown Community Center -- named for her late uncle -- to practice dribbling and outside shooting. Once a week, she plays pickup games against boys. "I'm trying to get stronger and be able to run more on the court," Mosby said. After leading Hernando (22-5) to conference and district titles, Mosby had 30 points, 18 rebounds and 7 steals in a 63-59 victory over St. Augustine Nease in a region quarterfinal. She hit a last-second bank shot to beat Cocoa 50-48 in a semifinal. Typically, Mosby allowed herself only a few hours to savor the moment -- which she calls "the most exciting I ever had in basketball" -- before she turned her attention to Hernando's next foe, Bishop Moore. The Leopards' 39-31 loss in the region championship was more difficult to shake. "I cried for three days after we lost," Mosby said. "I don't even like thinking and talking about it." Mosby set a school record for career scoring as well as single-season marks for points, rebounds, blocked shots and high-point games. "I think with Bernice, she has helped the team to have a winning season not only this year but in past years as well," first-year Hernando coach Pete Lahey said. "She has been a real good offensive player." Two weeks removed from her final high school game, Mosby has turned her attention to college. She is considering playing for the Essence, an AAU squad in Tallahassee, in the spring and summer before leaving for Florida. Eventually, she hopes to play in the WNBA. "I understand that (high school) is over, but I'm ready to move on to the next level," Mosby says. "I'm going to miss the girls I played with, but you've got to grow up sometime." -- Staff writer Frank Pastor can be reached at (800) 333-7505, Ext. 1430. Send e-mail to
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