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Hernando Today

Lady Sharks' streak continues

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Photo by JOE DiCRISTOFALO

Nature Coast guard Jen Marshall led the Lady Sharks with 19 points in Tuesday night's 63-49 win at Hernando.

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By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.

Hernando Today

Published: December 1, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - Halfway through its county slate for this season, Nature Coast's record in those contests remains as it always has in seven years of existence: unblemished.

The Lady Sharks made it 42-0 all-time, 3-0 this season, in county action thanks to Tuesday night's 63-49 win at Hernando.

Nature Coast (6-1 overall, 1-0 4A-8) jumped on the Lady Leopards (2-3 overall, 0-1 4A-8) in the third quarter to break open a relatively close game and cruised to the victory.

"I think we started playing better (in the second half)," Nature Coast Head Coach Travis Lamle said. "In the beginning we were a little sloppy. We went on a little run to end (the first half) and we came out right on fire. We played with great intensity."

Brown out

Hernando actually had more double-figure scorers than Nature Coast, with Brittany Flowers (15 points) and Liz Lawrence (12) joining the county's leading scorer, Jasmire Brown (13). Flowers added 12 rebounds.

However, thanks partially to foul trouble, Brown fell well short of her 20.5 average coming into the game. She went to the bench after picking up her fourth foul at 6:32 in the third with her team down 29-25.

The Lady Sharks would outscore the Lady Leopards 19-8 over the rest of the period to turn a 28-21 advantage at halftime into a 48-33 edge heading into the last quarter.

"We didn't have Jasmire out on the court," Hernando Head Coach Kevin Bittinger said. "They got on a little run and we just couldn't stop it.

"We played hard. I'm proud of the girls. They were down on the floor for loose balls. We're not even close to reaching our potential. We'll learn how to get through practices better. After 18 more games, we'll have a better product on the court."

Nature Coast received 19 points off the bench from senior Jen Marshall and 16 out of Alexis Helfand. But it was more about a collective effort and the little things on this night.

For instance, starting guard Brittany Johnson managed only six points, yet added nine rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Point guard Carcy Bossey didn't score at all, but did dish out four assists and grabbed six boards. Alyssa Joens contributed seven points, six rebounds and two steals.

Helfand also chipped in six rebounds and Mariah Byrd nine, while reserve Lyndsey Pospisil had nine points, six rebounds and a block

"I think we've got four kids (Marshall, Joens, Helfand, Byrd) scoring double figures and I think that's how the program has always been," Lamle said in explaining the balance. "They work real hard. They're an unselfish bunch."

The return of Marshall hasn't hurt. The All-County guard missed the first two games because she was initially planning to sit out basketball season.

She recently inked a softball scholarship with Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., and with the blessing of her future coach there, she returned to the Nature Coast hoops team.

In five games back, she paces the Lady Sharks at 15.8 points per game, even though she hasn't started once.

"I'm still getting into the flow of things," Marshall said. "Obviously starting up, I hope it'll come back to me quick, but I feel like I'm fitting in right away."

Late in the second quarter, she hit a three-pointer off a pass from Johnson, who then got down on the floor at midcourt for a steal and dished to Marshall for a fast-break layup and a 27-18 lead.

Those two plus Bossey helped push the ball up the floor in the second half, and Marshall went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.

"We knew we had to step it up," Marshall said. "The first half, we were settling for too much. We knew we had to get to the hole and put pressure on their offense."

NATURE COAST 63, HERNANDO 49
Qtr. Scoring 1 2 3 4
Nature Coast 13 15 20 15 — 63
Hernando 11 10 12 16 — 49
Nature Coast (63): Byrd 2 0-0 4, Helfand 5 4-4 16, Joens 3 1-1 7, Bossey 0, Johnson 2 2-4 6, Marshall 6 6-7 19, Pospisil 4 1-2 9, Peterson 1 0-3 2. Totals 23 14-21 63.
Hernando (49): Brown 4 5-11 13, Lawrence 5 2-11 12, Flowers 7 1-1 15, Liles 0, Jones 0 2-2 2, White 3 0-1 6, Kalina 0 1-2 1, Killingsworth 0, Dixon 0, Heath 0 Beverland 0. Totals 19 11-28 49.
Three-point field goals: NCT 3 (Helfand 2, Marshall); HER 0.
Total fouls: NCT 22; HER 18.
Technical fouls: Bittinger (HER-coach).
Fouled out: Helfand (NCT), Lawrence (HER).
Records: Nature Coast (6-1 overall, 1-0 4A-8), Hernando (2-3 overall, 0-1 4A-8).

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at 352-544-5288 or cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com.

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