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What's percolating

By DAVID MURPHY and VINCENT THOMAS
Published December 20, 2005

WHAT TO WATCH : Springstead boys at Citrus boys.

WHEN TO WATCH : Friday, 7:30 p.m.

WHY TO WATCH : Hernando County teams haven't fared well this season against top schools from neighboring counties, and that continued Friday when Springstead ventured to Citrus County to face Lecanto. First, the Eagles (7-3) got dismissed in a 31-point blowout. Then they got dissed in print by one Panther, who told the Times that Lecanto forced Springstead to "shut their mouths." Can Springstead, the top team in the HCAC to this point, reclaim some out-of-town love and top Citrus? Or is Hurricanes star Walt Howard, who is fresh off a suspension, licking his chops?

WHAT TO WATCH : Central girls at Ridgewood girls.

WHEN TO WATCH : Tuesday, 7 p.m.

WHY TO WATCH : Central has a little momentum on its side, having won two straight district games to improve to 2-3 in 5A-7. On Friday, it beat a Land O'Lakes team that it lost to earlier. With a key senior back in Noemi Rivera, and a slick-shooting sophomore in Ronisha Browdy, the Bears take on a Ridgewood team that is 3-1 in the district and 5-4 overall.

LAYUP DRILL

So, how did Nature Coast's fourth-quarter struggle against Hernando Friday night look from the bench? "Probably the same as it looked from the stands," Sharks coach Travis Priddy said after his team eked out a 52-51 win over the Leopards. "It was ugly."

After opening the game on a 20-5 run and holding double-digit leads at the end of the first, second, and third quarters, the Sharks had to make two big defensive stops in the last 11.3 seconds of the fourth quarter to hold on. Nature Coast hit just two field goals in the final quarter and was outscored 17-6. "I think we got kind of relaxed and lost some of our focus after that first quarter," Priddy said.

The Nature Coast girls' dominance over county teams continued with a 28-point win over Hernando Friday night. The Sharks remain unbeaten against HCAC opponents.

As impressive as that is, Jason Montgomery, Nature Coast's coach, thinks that the county schedule isn't the best preparation for his squad.

Pasco County's Gulf and Citrus County's Lecanto have been the only two teams with winning records that Nature Coast has faced. The Sharks left both games with losses and they weren't close.

With all but one HCAC game out of the way, the Sharks travel to South Lake tonight before hosting the Florida Gulf Coast Classic next week and finishing with a tough schedule of Citrus and Pasco squads.

It should provide the proving ground Montgomery desires for his young team.

The Springstead boys have a tough week ahead of them. In addition to Friday's game against Citrus, the Eagles travel to Pinellas Wednesday to face the undefeated Barons and Aaron Holmes.

The 6-foot-5 swingman has led St. Petersburg Catholic to the state semifinals the past two years and committed to Florida State.

Earlier this year, Pasco's Darrell Davis gave the Eagles fits down low. The Haynes Brothers, both athletic swingmen, might not sleep too easily tonight.

Hernando shooting guard/cross-country runner Jacob Bess continues to combine his two sports with success. After struggling in the first half against Nature Coast Friday, Bess scored 13 second-half points to lead a Leopards' comeback effort that fell short. The weekend before, he won the Jingle Bell 5K race in Inverness.

IN THE PAINT

BOYS GAMES TONIGHT : Ridgewood at Central, 7:30.

GIRLS GAMES TONIGHT : Central at Ridgewood, 7:30; Nature Coast at South Lake, 7:30; Springstead at Bayside Christmas Tourney.

COMING UP

WEDNESDAY'S GAMES : Boys - Springstead at St. Petersburg Catholic, 7:30. Girls - Springstead at Bayside Christmas Tourney.

THURSDAY'S GAMES : Boys - Central at Crystal River, 7:30. Girls - Springstead at Bayside Christmas Tourney.

FRIDAY'S GAMES: Boys - Springstead at Citrus, 7:30. Girls - Citrus at Springstead, 7.

[Last modified December 20, 2005, 01:50:22]