Preps

Lecanto gets a boost from bench

By JON-MICHAEL SORACCHI
Published December 17, 2004

LECANTO - When his team wasn't playing well Thursday night against Countryside, Chris Nichols went to two players on his bench to provide an extra spark.

The move paid off as Felton Kinchen and Mandela Myers combined for 24 points overall and 20 second-half points to lift Lecanto (4-4) 70-61.

"I thought we got a great effort from Mandela and Felton," said Nichols, whose team snapped a four-game skid. "Felton is a guy who hasn't seen a lot of playing time. Mandela is the type of player who plays better when the pace of the game gets faster."

Drew Zimbro scored a game-high 21, including 19 in the second half, for Lecanto. Countryside's Peter Alexandrou tallied 15 second-half points and finished with 17 total.

"I think we kind of let them take the momentum," Countryside coach Bob Marinak said. "We missed a few layups towards the end that should have been gimmees and we let them grab some rebounds that we should have gotten."

The score was tied at 39 through three quarters after Kinchen dropped in a shot that bounced around the rim before dropping in after the buzzer sounded.

Countryside (1-3) took a 50-47 lead after Chris LaVenia converted 1 of 2 free throws but a Myers' 3-pointer tied it at 50 with 4:56 left.

After LaVenia fed Reed Phinisey for a layup to make it 52-50, Zimbro's free throws tied the score with 4:04 remaining. That's when Lecanto made its run.

Mychal Nichols hit 1 of 2 free throws to give the Panthers a one-point lead, then Zimbro hit a pair of 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Panthers a 59-52 lead.

"I thought other people stepped up but those shots (by Zimbro) were the daggers," Nichols said.

[Last modified December 17, 2004, 00:07:19]