By Allen Hamrick
CCHS Panthers are setting the boards on fire as they take their fast paced basketball game to the corners of West Virginia. This past week they played a whale of a game against both the tough Gilmer County and South Harrison.
The Panthers are in a unique position that most teams don’t have and that is a bench full of players who can make plays for four periods and not look back. Their confidence is thick enough to cut with a chainsaw. It is nonstop action from the opening bell to the final whistle. Gilmer was first to stick their head in the Panther guillotine, and by the half, the Gilmer basketball machine had been reduced to ashes by the Panther defense. The Panther offense couldn’t be stopped and were burning the net off the rim. Ethan Burkhamer was a force under the basket grabbing rebounds and racking up the top numbers on the board with 18 points. The rest of the offense came out swinging and didn’t look back.
Gilmer had plenty of looks at the basket and shot the ball enough times to make the game close, but the Panther defense put on the squeeze and upgraded their game from pressure to attack. For Gilmer it was like trying to fish without a lure; you can cast and cast but you know deep down you won’t catch anything. In the end, it was the Panthers over Gilmer by the score of 80-44. Tanner Faulkner had 15 points while Grant Krajeski had 12 and Curtis Litton came in with 10.
The Panthers hit the road on Thursday night and took their guillotine with them to South Harrison. The Panthers were without their star center Curtis Litton in this game. Curtis is a center that when it gets mean and tough under the net, you can bet he will come out with the ball and grab a couple of points on the way. However, they had to play without him, and the team stepped up to the challenge and got the job done.
When the sweat stopped flying, the Panthers came out on top by the score of 67-62. Yeah, it was close, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. The Panthers will be at home on Tuesday against Doddridge, away at Calhoun on Thursday and back home again on Saturday to butt heads with Buffalo. These games should be some good ones. The Panthers are 5-1 on the season and well on their way to having one of the best seasons for quite some time. Try to get out and enjoy a game; you will be glad you did. Go Panthers!
