The Hernando Christian Academy Lions narrowly defeated the Central Bears by a 23-21 margin in girls’ basketball on Friday night. Both teams came into the matchup experiencing less than ideal seasons. While HCA has struggled mightily over the last couple of weeks, Central has been hapless during their 2023-2024 campaign. This game presented both teams with the opportunity to build momentum heading into the offseason and, notably, for Central to get its first win. That was not meant to be, though, as Head Coach Scott Dedmon’s Lions retook the lead late to emerge victorious.
“We are a young team without a ball handler with experience,” Coach Dedmon said. “So, we kind of rely on having to get the ball out of our hands with the passing. We controlled at the end. Usually, we get into this habit of trying to shoot before we get control because we do not know what to do with the ball in our hands, but they did a much better job of composing themselves and controlling the ball so we can have a last-minute chance to win.”
It was an inauspicious start for both squads as minutes ticked by in the first quarter without a score. The stalemate would finally be broken when Central Freshman Anyah Bonneau knocked down a shot from beyond the arch 6:21 into the contest. Over the final minute-plus of the period, the visitors would respond with a pair of baskets from Senior Breely Miller before eighth-grader Addisyn Slocum logged a rebound and subsequent score to give the Lions a 6-5 lead heading into the second.
Things continued in much the same way in the next frame. Miller and Freshman Neaya Richardson each put up a basket while Bears Freshman Leilani White knocked down her second and third scores of the game. Coming out of halftime, HCA looked as if they might start to pull away. Over 3:06 of game clock, the Lions outscored the home team 8-0 to open up a 20-12 lead thanks to baskets by four different players. The Navy and Silver would not go away quietly, though. They would instead rattle off nine straight points, which included a trey from Bonneau and a pair of shots by Junior Elena Sanchez, to take the 21-20 advantage with under three minutes remaining.
The Lions would respond with the final three points of the game by way of a Sophomore Briauna Richardson free throw and Junior Emma Hendricks midrange two-pointer. The visitors would proceed to salt the game away as Central could not knock down any more baskets over the final 1:38. After the game, Coach Dedmon singled out a few athletes from his team who have improved throughout the season.
“There are a couple young players,” Coach Dedmon said. “The Richardson sisters in particular, they have stepped up. Neaya Richardson and Briauna Richardson have really helped out. Emma Hendricks has helped out. We have had a couple injuries. [Junior] Kelly Wong has been a good player, but she hurt her back and she is not with us anymore this season, but those are the ones that stood out.”
Moving forward, both squads are preparing for the final stretch of the season. Central has two games left to play on their schedule: at the Classical Prep Lions and hosting the Citrus Hurricanes to end the season. The Bears will face their second consecutive Lions opponents on Monday. HCA has a trio of games remaining with a showdown versus the St. John Lutheran Saints on deck. Coach Dedmon wants his squad to continue to work on dribbling as they finish out their schedule against teams like the Saints on Tuesday.
“Dribbling,” said the Lions’ coach. “We are a team without a true bonified point guard that can dribble. We have a lot of work to do with the other girls trying to help out the ball handler to get open so she’s not in too much pressure.”
