By Allen Hamrick
The Panther basketball team put on a defense and offense show at the game against Roane County this past week. The Raiders literally came out wiping the floor with the Panthers in the first period, outscoring the Panthers 17-6. The Panthers were having a hard time getting their Jordan shots to fall. Then, it was if the Panther defense turned out the lights on the Raider offense, and Panther offense took control racking up 13 points by the half. At the half, it was Panthers 19, Raiders 24.
After what must have been a rousing half time pep talk, the second half was much different for the Panthers as both offense and defense bellied up to the meatloaf. The Panthers came out swinging in the third and stayed bucket for bucket with the Raiders. The Raiders kept a slight two point edge at the end of the third with the score standing at 36-34. Then, the butt kicking began as the Panthers defense put on a ground show while the offense put on an air show. In the fourth, the Panthers scored a whopping 18 points to the Raiders nine; they just couldn’t keep up. When the smoke cleared and jaws lifted off the floor, it was the Panthers over Roane by the score of 52-45. It was a great game and Trent Gibson got was top shot with 16 points.
The next game against Doddridge would be a tough one, but with some momentum off a win against Roane, it might play in Panther favor. However, the lights went out in Georgia for the Panthers as they couldn’t get back the glory they had against Roane. Scoring was like reading a Russian dictionary – you try but, in the end, it doesn’t matter. Doddridge came out scoring 20 in the first period and didn’t look back. The Panthers rallied in the third and fourth periods, but it was too little, too late. The final score was Panthers 39, Doddridge 69. The Panthers will be at home for three games this week against Man, Poca and Buffalo. These should be some good games.
In CCHS girls’ basketball news, the Lady Panthers were coming off their first win of the season against Tucker County, winning by a score of 48-31. The Lady Grizzlies of Nicholas were first up last week, but the Lady Panthers couldn’t get the offense rolling against the Lady Grizzlies and lost the matchup 13-47. Next up was Herbert Hoover, and the Lady Panthers had a difficult time on offense again and just couldn’t get the ball in the hoop. They lost the match 19-44. The Lady Panthers are scheduled to be back in action against Gilmer on January 22nd and back at home against Webster on January 23rd. All the dates and time for the CCMS and CCHS games are dependent on weather so check with the schools or social media postings to stay current on what games are going on and what games aren’t.
