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Layup drill

By DAVID MURPHY AND KELLIE DIXON
Published December 14, 2006

Can't miss this

Who: Nature Coast girls at Central

When: Monday, 7:30 p.m.

The Lowdown: Nature Coast brings its undefeated season to Central's gym, the site of the closest county game in Sharks' history Nature Coast, undefeated all-time versus county opponents, beat Central 43-40 two years ago. Central likely has as good a shot at pulling an upset as any county team has had in recent memory.

Who: Hernando boys at Nature Coast boys

When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.

The Lowdown: Nature Coast looks to rebound from its heart-breaking loss to Springstead. Hernando tries to get its season turned around by knocking off a county rival. The game matches up two old-school swing men: the Sharks' Joe Silvestri and the Leopards' Ford Manuel.

In the paint ...

... News and notes from the hardwood

Consistency: That's the word Hernando coach Jeff Laing used when detailing his team's early struggles. "We sometimes shoot ourselves in the foot," Laing said. The Leopards are also looking for scoring from someone other than Manuel, who again led the team with 16 points in a loss to South Sumter on Tuesday.

Check: The Springstead girls team met another goal Friday with a 46-41 win over Zephyrhills. The Eagles' first district victory of the year means Springstead has matched its two-game win total from last season.

Show stopper: Springstead junior Jen Knoer sometimes can ruin a shooter's day. The 5-foot-11 center has blocked eight shots for the Eagles this season.

Perimeter defense: The Nature Coast boys did a great job of defending Springstead sharp-shooter Tim Hennigan on the perimeter in Tuesday's loss, limiting him to just eight points and no 3-pointers. The Sharks allowed three total 3-pointers.

Nehemiah on fi-yah: Keep an eye on Springstead guard Nehemiah Mason, who led the Eagles with 17 points in their win over Nature Coast. He is averaging 11.3 points per game.

Statistics Corner

Coaches are reminded to submit stats by the end of school each Wednesday. They can be e-mailed to dmurphy@sptimes.com or faxed to (352) 754-6133

Girls: Central's Ronisha Browdy leads the county in scoring, averaging 19.3 points per game and shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. Springstead's Hilary Fiocca is averaging 13.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. Central's Tikebi Relaford is among the county's leaders in rebounding, with 7.7 per game. For Nature Coast, Shareka Maner is averaging 11.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Boys: Hennigan, Manuel, Silvestri and Central's Darryn Frazier continue to battle for the county scoring lead. Silvestri scored 20 points in the Sharks' loss to Springstead, while Manuel had 16 in a loss to South Sumter. Hennigan is averaging 15.4 points for the season.

Standings

Girls

Nature Coast 8 0

Central 8 3

Hernando 2 8

Springstead 2 8

Boys

Springstead 7 1

Nature Coast 7 1

Hernando 3 6

Central 1 9

[Last modified December 13, 2006, 20:57:41]