By Allen Hamrick
The Lady Panthers were home this past week hosting Buffalo and Braxton. Buffalo was first on the chopping block as the Lady Panthers went to work. Once the Lady Panthers got rolling and found their groove, their game came alive. Both teams wanted a win, and it showed. By the time this game was over, it was time for some R and R. Defense became the rule as the Lady Panthers turned up the heat on their press and put an end to the hopes of a win for Buffalo. Offense for the Lady Panthers started out strong in the 1st period but the hoops were hard to hit in the 2nd and 3rd. Buffalo couldn’t capitalize on the mistakes and had an even harder time hitting the net until the 4th period. Offense picked up on both sides of the ball as Buffalo made a run for the win in the 4th racking up 20 points in the period and nearly catching the Lady Panthers. Key steals and good offense by the Lady Panthers, however, sent the Lady Panthers to the winners’ circle. In the end, it was a rough game without the usual intensity, but the
Lady Panthers pulled out the win 42-35. Ilyauna Evans racked up 16 points in the game to lead the Lady Panthers in scoring followed by Lexi Gilliland with nine.
Next up was Braxton, and it was another nail biter. Underneath the hoop, the Lady Panthers out squeezed the ball and were monsters on the boards. There were no big money players in this game; the girls ticked like a Rolex and took down their opponents 46-38. There still a few bugs to work out, but the Lady Panthers are on the move. This game was yet another example of great basketball from the Lady Panthers who basically out lasted Braxton on the boards for four periods. The Ladies will be on the road again to Hoover to take on the lady Huskies on Tuesday, January 10th. If you get a little chilled and feel a cold coming on, it is probably basketball fever and the only known cure is to get to a game.