By Allen Hamrick
Those of you that have a craving for great basketball and like to attend games that will aid and abet a heart condition may have wanted to see the game between the Panthers and the Braxton Eagles. The Panthers were on tour in Eagle country and weren’t there to shoot skeet. They wanted to go and put a whippin’ on the Eagles, and they did just that.
The Panthers took it to the Eagles from the opening gun with an in-your-face style of defense; a defense that looked more like ballet as they jumped, stole the ball and put points on the board. The Panthers won on the boards, as well, getting the better cut of the beef on rebounds. Basically put, the Panthers dominated the defense and the offense, hitting for 20 points in the first period. It was like watching a pack of Panthers moving in on a buffalo kill; the speed was fast but organized.
At the half, the Panthers were up by the score of 38-28 and must have ate their Wheaties in the locker room because they didn’t miss a beat as they rolled over the Eagles in their own nest and beat them like a rug 74-58. In the game, it was Curtis Litton who lined up his sights knocking down 19 points in the game followed by Ethan Burkhamer with 14 and Colton Pritt with 12. The Panthers will be playing the for the LKC title on Monday against the top ranked team from Williamstown. It will be a great game but a tough one, and as a great writer once said, “A smooth river never made good boatmen.”
The Panthers have been up against it before, and this is nothing new. They are a great team because their resolve is attained by force and perseverance; they are a power that comes on the floor and dominates, that brings down the lofty pedestals that others have been placed on. It is a rush to watch them play. The Panthers are having one of their greatest seasons, so let’s get out and support the Panthers as they make a run for a state title.