The regular season for prep boys and girls basketball in the state of Florida is winding down to the district tournament stage. We now take a look at where the teams stand in the Hernando Sun Top 5 Prep Boys/Girls Basketball Poll.
BOYS
No. 1 Springstead (17-3): The Eagles have maintained their spot at the top of the boys’ basketball poll all season long and for good reasons. The only losses Springstead has suffered have come to perennial powers like Wildwood, Clearwater, and Berkeley Prep.
No. 2 Central (17-3): The Bears are currently riding a 9-game winning streak and to say they are on a roll might be an understatement. Central has ridden the hot hand of senior Tre Joyner, who is averaging 18.8 points per game. Joyner isn’t alone, as he has fellow teammates DJ Brown and Caden Bergantino playing well beside him.
No. 3 Nature Coast (9-12): Want to know the last time the Sharks finished the regular season under the .500 mark? You’d have to go all the way back to the school’s first-ever campaign in 2005-2006 when Nature Coast went 8-11.
No. 4 Weeki Wachee (9-11): After going 8-18 last season, the Hornets took a slight step up this winter and though the wins didn’t go up immensely, they’ve played competitively with mostly everyone. The small strides Weeki Wachee has made don’t go unnoticed.
No. 5 Hernando (5-15): The Leopards didn’t start very well at 1-8 but have played more inspired basketball as the season has progressed. Hernando has gone 3-7 down the stretch, which gives hope heading into district tournament play.
GIRLS
No. 1 Hernando (16-5): After an 8-1 start to the season, the Leopards cooled down a little bit in the second half of the campaign going 8-4. Now the Leopards are eyeing a district championship and finish the season with a home/away series with New Port Richey Gulf.
No. 2 Weeki Wachee (17-7): Are the Hornets all the way back- like the state semifinalist team from a few years ago? Not quite, but Billy Hughes has this team playing some really fun, inspiring basketball. Senior Princess Hester has played top-notch, averaging 14.1 points per game this season.
No. 3 Nature Coast (12-7): I think most knew eventually Nature Coast would end up turning things around, as they feature the county’s leading scorer in Heaven Lee. The forward is averaging a county-high 19.4 points per game.
No. 4 Springstead (10-14): Wouldn’t go quite far saying it’s been a Busch Gardens’ roller-coaster type of season, but it’s had its highs and lows for the Eagles throughout the campaign. Springstead has played tough as of late, with a narrow loss to Hernando and edging out Palm Harbor University.
No. 5 Hernando Christian Academy (4-14): Most knew it wouldn’t be the same kind of dream season as last year’s Lions produced. It’s been much more of a rebuild for Hernando Christian, with an eye into the future.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
