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Lecanto's free throws crush Crystal River

By DAWN REISS and KELLIE DIXON
Published December 14, 2006

The Lecanto boys team scored 24 points from the foul line in Tuesday's 67-47 win against Crystal River .

Very little, it seemed, bothered the Panthers as they stepped to the line 36 times. They ignored the noise in Crystal River's packed gym to knock down 67 percent.

Nick Cortes led the team, going 6-of-8. Bryan Hamer knocked down all five of his attempts.

"Our guys are just smart enough to go there, be set, get settled, take their time and knock their shots down," Lecanto coach Chris Nichols said.

PIRATES' PROGRESS: Attitude and hustle aren't an issue for the Crystal River girls team. But the Pirates still are struggling when it comes to taking care of the ball and improving their shooting percentage, which hovers around 20 percent. Still, Crystal River coach Jere DeFoor said he's seeing his inexperienced group mature with each game.

"We're improving," DeFoor said. "It may not show in all the stats each night, but on the floor we've seen some kids do some things."

PANTHER PRIDE: Lecanto girls coach Ron Allan was happy to see his team play with more intensity. A sluggish first quarter Tuesday night against Crystal River ended with Kaylah Hall's 3-pointer that changed the momentum en route to a 42-22 win.

The Panthers used their full-court press to set up steals and score in transition.

[Last modified December 13, 2006, 20:09:48]