By Allen Hamrick
The Lady Panthers opened their season on the open road against Charleston Catholic last week. The Ladies came into this game planning to do some old fashioned, butt whipping basketball. With new players coming up from the CCMS from last season, they would be well on their way to a great season. However, in their opening game of the season, they may as well been trying to dribble porcupines as Charleston Catholic made them pay the price for mistakes. It was like trying to scratch an itch with a feather as the Lady Panthers tried to get the offense rolling. The Lady Panthers had some holes in their defense, and Charleston Catholic took advantage of it. The Lady Panthers were getting a few looks at the net but had plenty of hands in their faces blocking the view. The hoop was like trying to thread a needle with paracord as the Lady Panthers struggled to get points on the board; they just couldn’t get the ball to drop through the net.
At the end of the first half of play, the Lady Panthers managed just three points on the boards as the struggles continued to plague them. However, in the second half, the Lady Panthers started getting their game on and were filling the hoop and getting points. Charleston Catholic wasn’t burning the boards up too much as the Lady Panthers defensive game stepped up to the plate and started making their presence known.
When the game finally ended, it was Charleston Catholic beating the Lady Panthers by the score of 48-23. It was a tough opener for the Lady Panthers. Webster County was up next for the Lady Panther home opener and the voodoo just kept punching the needles in the Lady Panther dolls. Webster came out swinging, and the Lady Panthers kept it close early but couldn’t maintain the pressure on the net. When it was over, Webster was on the top of the hill beating the Lady Panthers 50-29. Offensively, the Lady Panthers are going to have to get their goal percentages up or it will be a long season. There is no doubt that the Lady Panthers have the skill on the team; they just have to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. Go Lady Panthers!