The Panther basketball team wore out the rolling pins this week, flattening the competition. The first to put their head in the guillotine was Gilmer County. Simply put, they didn’t know what hit them. It was nothing short of a turkey shoot for the Panthers as four of them went into double digits.
Offense was the name of the game in this fire storm. Isaac Workman exploded in the second half with 16 of his 21 points. Thomas Haverty was next with 14, and Nathan Canfield and Garrett Quinn spread their points across the field, scoring 13 each. Both teams came out firing hot in the first period with the Panthers on top 25-20.
During second period, the Panthers turned on the defense and allowed only 9 points for Gilmer. Bottom line – the Panthers didn’t slow down a bit in all four periods. They consistently scored with precision. Gilmer made a last ditch effort in the 4th period scoring 20 points, but it was too, little too late. The Panthers finished on top with the score 74-57. Next, it was time for the game of the year. The Panthers were on the road trying to redeem their loss to the Raiders of Roane County.
The Raiders had previously handed the Panthers one of their only losses this season, and it was time for payback.The teams were like two starving lions when someone throws in a tender loin. They went at the ball in the first period in what I would call organized chaos. Neither team was able to burn the net up in the first period, but it was a great show with a lot of high flying Michael Jordan style shots and one pandemonium causing dunk by the Raiders. The fans went crazy until Thomas Haverty came to the rescue dropping the shots and taking up the slack. Whether you shoot from the field for two points or dunk it, it is still two points. Workman, Quinn and Canfield were all held to just a couple points each in the first half, but they sure put on a shooting expo and didn’t just drop the ball in. Haverty scored 13 of the Panthers’ 20 points in the first half. The Raiders were firing on all cylinders but were losing steam. At the half, it was all tied up at 20 each.
The third period was pretty even with both teams slowing down and getting their wind for the fourth. It was then that Isaac Workman was thrown a bone, and he buried it the Raiders’ front yard, scoring 18 points in the fourth. The Raiders just couldn’t keep up the pace of the Panthers, and the game ended with the Panthers on top by the score of 58 to 46. Isaac Workman was once again top shot with 22 points, followed closely by Thomas Haverty with 18. If you like basketball and the Panthers are anywhere close, the action is just as good as a WVU game, in my opinion. The Panthers will play Midland Trail this Tuesday night at Midland Trail with game time at 7:30. Go Panthers!
