Lee County runs by Pelham in summer basketball

LEESBURG — For five years, Mykel Edwards walked the sidelines at Lee County High School as an assistant coach.

Wednesday afternoon, he returned to Leesburg wearing different colors and sitting on the opposite bench.

“It was very strange,” Edwards said. “I spent five years there, so it was definitely weird being on the far end and also being in the visitor locker room, which, believe it or not, was my first time ever in there. But it felt great being back and seeing everyone.”

Edwards, now the head coach at Pelham High School, brought his Hornets to Leesburg for a summer basketball doubleheader featuring junior varsity and varsity contests against the Trojans.

Lee County came away with victories in both games, but not before Pelham made things interesting.

The junior varsity contest turned into a defensive battle that wasn’t decided until the final minutes.

Pelham briefly grabbed a 23-22 lead on a steal and layup with less than two minutes remaining, putting the Hornets in position for an upset.

The Trojans, however, responded with the same defensive intensity that has become a trademark of the program.

Lee County shut down Pelham’s offense the rest of the way and closed the game on an 8-2 run to secure a 30-25 victory.

The varsity game followed a similar script early.

Pelham battled toe-to-toe with the Trojans during the opening minutes and trailed just 12-9 midway through the first half.

Then Lee County’s defensive pressure began to take its toll.

The Trojans forced turnovers, pushed the pace in transition and finished the half on a 14-2 run to build a commanding 26-11 advantage.

Any hopes of a Pelham comeback disappeared after halftime.

Lee County’s speed and defensive pressure continued to create problems for the Hornets as the Trojans steadily pulled away, eventually extending the margin to 53-19.

Despite the lopsided final score, Edwards saw positives from his young team.

“I felt as if we came out and played hard the first half,” Edwards said. “I believe in the second half we kind of got down on ourselves because our shots weren’t falling and Lee County made us uncomfortable.”

Edwards said his team’s effort on the defensive end was encouraging.

“What stood out to me was the first half and our defensive energy,” he said. “We defended okay and now we just have to find a way to put it all together.”

The Pelham coach was also pleased with what he saw from his junior varsity squad despite the narrow loss.

“My JV group surprised me as well,” Edwards said. “They played much better as a team. Even though we didn’t get that win, playing as a team is what will get us there.”

For Lee County, the summer continues to be about developing a roster that looks significantly different from the one that took the floor a year ago.

Head coach Kirven Davis said the Trojans are working through the loss of several experienced players.

“We’ve lost a lot of experience as three starters moved out,” Davis said. “Kaiden Newberry moved to Alabama, Ashton McKinney moved to Tennessee and Devin Williams transferred to Westover. We have a lot of work to do.”

One bright spot Wednesday was freshman Chayse Randle, who impressed Davis during the summer workout.

Randle starred at Merry Acres Middle School last season and is among a group of younger players being counted on to help fill the void left by the departing veterans.

The Trojans remain a work in progress, but Wednesday’s performance provided another glimpse of the defensive pressure and athleticism that Davis hopes will define his team when the regular season arrives.