NCT: Another measuring stick

Last month, Nature Coast made a statement in beating two high-profile Hillsborough County teams in a Thanksgiving tournament.

On Saturday, the Sharks (9-0) will have yet another opportunity to prove they can win outside their own sandbox when they travel to Clearwater High for the Bright House Holiday Tournament.

Nature Coast faces Walton High out of Marietta, Ga. at 6:30 p.m. The eight-team tournament will resume on Monday and conclude on Tuesday.

"There's no pressure," Nature Coast Head Coach Dave Pisarcik said. "This is a measuring stick of where we're at.

"I definitely think we're going to take some teams by surprise. Beating Plant and Sickles early in the year (at The Florida Elite Thanksgiving Shootout in November), I think people are starting to realize who we are. But we've got to go out and keep doing it."

The Sharks could see Plant, featuring prolific scorer Michael Frazier, or Sickles, the reigning Class 5A state runner-up, again as they are among the teams in the field for this event.

The remaining clubs include host Clearwater and Tampa-Newsome, who both reached the Elite Eight in 5A last season, as well as Eagle Lake-Lake Region and Wiregrass Ranch, one of Nature Coast's chief competitors in Class 4A, District 8.

Coming off their own Elite Eight appearance, the Sharks haven't seen any drop-off despite an evolving supporting cast around center Tyler Bergantino.

The 6-foot-9 junior is averaging 14.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.7 blocks. Three other starters - Matt Dennis, Donovan Ingram and Caleb Martin - are averaging over eight points per game, while guard Blake Lowman is dishing out 8.5 assists.

Pisarcik sees Clearwater and Walton as the favorites to take first-place honors. The Raiders, classified as 5A in Georgia, carry a 3-2 mark and are led by 6-foot-1 senior guards Lanerryl Johnson and Karl Cochran.

Johnson paces the team in scoring at 29.7 points per game. Cochran averages 21.0 points and team-bests of 5.8 assists, 3.0 blocks and 4.3 steals per contest.

"That's why we signed up to play in this type of tournament," Pisarcik said. "These are the type of teams we have to play in the Elite Eight if we plan on getting back there."

Central at Mount Dora Bible

Central (1-8) will use this weekend's Mount Dora Bible Boys Christmas Tournament as an opportunity to rebuild after some early-season personnel issues.

Head Coach Matt Zandecki confirmed that one of his senior captains, guard/forward Mike Lula, has quit the team.

His other senior captain, guard Willie Frazier, has missed time after twisting his knee in practice and remains questionable. Frazier leads the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game.

Another guard, sophomore Joey Stokes, has played through a pulled tendon in his hip, meaning the team has had recent problems involving its top three scorers.

"We're looking for other kids to step up," Zandecki said. "Basically just chemistry, get more games under our belts against teams we don't normally play."

Central squares off with Merritt Island Friday at 4:30 p.m., then depending on the first-day results will play either Mount Dora Bible or Florida Bible Christian on Saturday.

"As a team, we need to be in some close games to figure out how to win them," Zandecki said. "We're not doing the things necessary to pull out a victory."

AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Bright House Holiday Tournament
WHO: Clearwater, Eagle Lake-Lake Region, Nature Coast, Lithia-Newsome, Tampa-Plant, Tampa-Sickles, Walton (Ga.) and Wiregrass Ranch.
WHEN: Dec. 18-21
WHERE: Clearwater High, 540 S. Hercules Ave., Clearwater, 33764.
FORMAT: Bracketed with three guaranteed games.
 
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Mount Dora Bible Boys Christmas Tournament
WHO: Central, Florida Bible Christian, Merritt Island and Mount Dora Bible.
WHEN: Dec. 17-18
WHERE: Mount Dora Bible, 301 W. 13th Ave., Mount Dora, 32757.
FORMAT: Winners and losers of Friday's games play one another on Saturday.