Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers

HUDSON - For a team like the Leopards, who've been plagued all season long with the turnover bug, the Cobras didn't help much Thursday night.

Hudson's half-court trap forced at least 13 turnovers as it easily defeated 4A-8 rival Hernando, 73-36.

It started slowly. After a 7-0 Hudson run to start the game off, the score was 11-6 at the end of the first quarter. Cobra Tyler Hooten hit a three-pointer and two field goals, and Hernando's Lamon Neal, Andrew McNeal and Nate Howell each found the bottom of the net for the Leopards.

At 5:38 in the second quarter, Hudson (7-6 overall, 4-3 4A-8) led 20-10. In the next two minutes, the Leopards scored only one point, and added four fouls. With two minutes left in the half, the Cobras were up 31-11.

"We closed out pretty good," said Leopard Head Coach Chris Ridenour. "They were up by 20, but we scored six unanswered. We just kept turning the ball over.

"In the last 20 seconds we gave away a basket. I told them we've got to keep control of the basketball more, which has been our problem all year long. We turn the ball over way too much; it's something were working on."

Hudson's Jarrod Branco, the 4A-8 leading scorer, didn't make a shot in the first quarter, but sank four field goals and went 4-for-5 from the line for 12 points in the half.

Hernando trailed a respectable 34-19 to start the third quarter. But the dam broke, and the Hudson flood was too much.

Five different Cobras compiled 25 points to just nine for the Leopards, all by center Nate Howell.

"Honestly, when you look at it, it comes down to turnovers and not executing," repeated Ridenour of his struggling Leopards (0-12 overall, 0-9 4A-8). That's been the story; that's where we struggle. We continue to play hard the whole game. We always fight to stay in the game no matter what it is; play hard and keep our heads up."