BROOKSVILLE- Last year, the Hernando Leopards’ girls basketball team was making strides towards being a team that could be a playoff contending team, and now in the 2021-2022 campaign they’re showing they’ve leveled up in a big way.
13-9 last season, the Leopards are already just three wins away from matching that mark as Hernando is sitting with a record of 10-3. The Leopards only losses have come against Lecanto, Ocala Trinity Catholic and St. Petersburg Northeast. Other than that, the Leopards have been playing masterfully this campaign and enter 2022 with high expectations.
Hernando plays within a competitive Class 4A, District 9 which includes the likes of county foes Nature Coast, Weeki Wachee, Bushnell South Sumter, Crystal River and Central. The Leopards are tied for the most wins at 10 with the Hornets, but Hernando is undefeated in district play so far and has their sights set on winning a district championship.
The player most stepping up their game for the Leopards this 2021-2022 season has been senior Sy Crowley, who is averaging a team-high 22.6 points per game to lead Hernando. She’s not only scoring a bunch of points for Hernando, but she’s doing a ton of rebounding and making defensive plays for the Leopards. Crowley is averaging 9.6 rebounds and 7.3 steals a contest.
Crowley isn’t alone in the department of scoring the basketball, however, as Lydia Jackson is averaging 11.6 points per game and grabbing four rebounds and fellow teammate Tyana ‘TJ’ Jones is scoring 9.9 a contest. Combine the scoring of Crowley, Jackson and Jones and it accounts for around 40 points a game for Hernando.
If the Leopards look to make a deep run in the Class 4A postseason, Hernando will need to lean upon the trio to get them to the promised land and beyond. The Leopards have an opportunity to not only win a district championship but to win a playoff game and who knows, maybe even a run to the region final and beyond. It’s been done by the likes of Weeki Wachee and Hernando Christian Academy and can be done again.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
