The regular season for prep boys and girls basketball in the state of Florida is now over and we now take a look at the roundup for Prep Boys/Girls Basketball in Hernando County.
BOYS
Central (24-4): The Bears rode a bit of a hot streak to end the regular season, as they upended Bushnell South Sumter 64-49 to win the Class 4A, District 9 championship. Central earned themselves a trip down to Pinellas County to face a tough Lakewood team in the Region Quarterfinal. The Bears beat Lakewood 69-56 and this week take on Port Charlotte (21-22) in the Region 3 Semi-Final.
Springstead (22-6): The Eagles narrowly lost the Class 5A, District 5 championship game against Leesburg 34-33. Guess who they saw to open up the playoffs? You guessed it: Leesburg. Springstead kept it close again but lost 59-52.
Nature Coast (13-14): This is only the second time in Nature Coast’s program history that they have finished below the .500 mark in boys basketball. The only other time the Sharks completed that feat was its first year as a program in 2005-2006.
Weeki Wachee (13-14): It’s a five-win improvement for the Hornets from a year ago. Weeki Wachee went 8-18 last season and have improved immensely. This is definitely a program trending in the right direction.
Hernando (6-20): A 1-8 start didn’t help matters for the Leopards program that seemed to be heading towards the .500 mark from last season. The program will regroup and look to get better in the off-season.
GIRLS
Weeki Wachee (20-8): One of the school’s best seasons in program history came to an end in the region quarterfinal round when the Hornets lost 60-10 to St. Petersburg Lakewood. Weeki Wachee will graduate some key players and have to rebuild for the 2022-2023.
Hernando (17-6): It was a disappointing end to the season for the Hernando team that had high expectations. The Leopards ended up losing 38-36 to Crystal River in the semifinal round, thus ending what was a superb regular season.
Nature Coast (15-8): The Sharks were just a couple points away from being the county’s lone playoff team, as they lost 30-29 to eventual district champion Weeki Wachee. Heaven Lee ended the campaign with a team-high 18 points per game.
Springstead (11-15): The Eagles narrowly lost in the district tournament against Lake Weir but did see some upside with this past season. Springstead will only graduate four players from a 15 player roster.
Hernando Christian Academy (5-16): The Lions were just a year removed from being a state semifinalist and now are in a rebuilding stage of things. Hernando Christian nearly knocked off Academy at the Lakes in the district tournament.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
