On Wednesday night, the Nature Coast Sharks (9-7) took a bite out of the Hernando Leopards (11-4) on the road. The Purple and Gold entered the matchup having won seven out of their last eight, but Sharks Head Coach David Pisarcik’s squad came into the Leopards’ Den and led from start to finish in a dominating 58-32 victory.
Finishing fourth in their recent tournament and third in Springstead’s holiday competition allowed the Columbia Blue clad crew to refine aspects of their play and continue building belief in themselves heading into 2025.
“We knew they were a good team,” said Coach Pisarcik. “They are playing well. They won four or five straight. We had a great Christmas […] We gained some confidence over the tournament. Got some good wins. We knew coming into the new year, we were playing well. So, we will try to carry it over into the regular season.”
Not only did Nature Coast lead early, but they jumped out to a sizeable advantage minutes into the contest. Senior SG Jacob McPhail was a large piece of this knocking down a pair of threes (one being the game’s opening score) and a turnaround jumper during this stretch.
Hernando did momentarily cut into the Sharks’ lead heading into the early seconds of the second quarter. They scored 8 of the next 12 points off scores from four different players to reduce Nature Coast’s advantage to 12. Leopards’ Junior Joseph Rivera (15 points, 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 rebounds) knocked down a trey during this stretch.
To the home team’s chagrin, the 12-point deficit would only be reached once more by the home team just under a minute into the second frame. Throughout the quarter, Nature Coast’s lead would balloon by another 10 points bringing the score to 35-12 at the intermission.
The visitors would continue to outscore Coach Jake Gaustad’s team in the third (11-8) and score 12 points apiece in the fourth frame as well. A largely balanced effort from the Sharks, McPhail and Freshman Jayden Simon were just some of the athletes who had solid outings against Hernando.
“I think everybody’s bought into the team aspect of the game,” Coach Pisarcik said. “Everybody’s got to play their role. Everybody’s got to do what they need to do to be able to be successful. Everybody understands what it takes. Now, it’s just execution. We are not a selfish team, so anybody can step up […] I’m really proud of how the guys executed tonight.”
Wednesday’s victory gives Nature Coast three wins in their last four matchups. This combined with the overwhelming manner of the Sharks’ last outing should serve as a confidence booster heading into the back half of their schedule. Ultimately, though, their eyes are fixed on another prize.
“It does not really matter what happens in the regular season,” Coach Pisarcik said. “We want to play well toward the end of the season. So, we’re continuing to work hard and learn from every single time we step on the floor and hopefully it will pay off in the end.”
