By Allen Hamrick
This past week, as we all know, winter hit with an attitude nearly shutting down all sports in the county. The Lady Panthers, however, got a game in against the Lady Eagles of Braxton on the only day this week that winter allowed… Thursday night. The Lady Panthers continue to have a tough time on the courts this season playing as hard as a team can, but getting a win is like dancing the tango with a dust cloud. Every game is all out, fast and furious, and the team hammers the game down their opponent’s throat. However, as hard as they play, they have to score. The basket seems like no man’s land at critical points of the game, and mistakes in a game of speed and motion will kill their chance of winning. It was just one of those games where you have to scratch your head and dig a little deeper into the popcorn bag.
The teams hit the floor in the 1st period, and it looked like they were throwing darts at a quarter. Baskets were few as the score stood at 7-6 with the Lady Panthers holding a knife’s edge lead. Shooting picked up for the Lady Eagles, as well as their defense; they held the Lady Panthers to just eight more points while adding 12 more of their own. By the half, the Lady Panthers had fallen behind by the score of 15-18, still holding it close enough to grab the lead quickly. The Lady Panthers got their game on in the 3rd dusting the net a little more but were still unable to move into the lead. The Lady Eagles kept their lead by making just enough shots to keep the Lady Panthers down on the boards. There were plenty of fouls to go around as both teams were able to score over a third of their score from cheat line shooting. When it was over and winter reclaimed the school, the Lady Panthers fell to the Lady Eagles 32-43. Top shots for the Lady Panthers were Ilyauna Evans and Olivia Witt with nine points each.
The Ladies will have a tough one coming up against the Lady Huskies of Hoover on Tuesday night. Come out and help get the Lady Panthers back on the winning track. Panther basketball will be back on the courts, after a seemingly long break, at Richwood to take on the Lumber Jacks. The game will be played on Wednesday night, and it should be a good one. This year’s homecoming game will be played on Friday night against the Eagles of Braxton.
In other sports, the Mustang basketball teams were knocked out of action as the snow piled up quickly. However, with the coming heat wave, the Mustangs will be away this week at South Harrison on Tuesday night and at Valley on Thursday. The Lady Mustangs will also be in action at home on Tuesday against South Harrison and also at Valley on Thursday night. Mustang wrestling will be at Elkview Middle on Tuesday night and in Huntington for the WSAZ tournament Friday and Saturday. The Panther wrestling team will also be in action on Friday and Saturday at the WSAZ tournament. Come out and support the teams before winter catches up with us again.
