By Allen Hamrick
With Covid-19 still doing what damage it can in the world of sports, the CCHS Panthers’ basketball homecoming game and senior recognition night went off without a hitch. The Panthers said farewell to six of the finest basketball players that have graced the basketball floor. They will now move on to higher levels of learning and sports.
Caleb Atha, Ethan Burkhamer, Tanner Faulkner, Grant Krajeski, Elijah Payton and Colton Pritt have each in their own right played a major role in the success of CCHS basketball. We wish them well in their further endeavors. However, they still have a season to finish out and up on the docket Friday night was Buffalo. The last time these two teams met, the Panthers were in the winner’s circle, but this time would be different.
The game started, and it looked as though it would be another Panther win. The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders in the first period, outscoring Buffalo 12-7; not a high scoring period as each team tried to find a balance between the net and their sights. Both teams had good defense, but good shooting by Buffalo in the second allowed them to catch up and surpass the Panthers on the board. At the half, it was Buffalo up by the score of 20-23. These were not your usual high scoring Panthers – something was off, and they needed to fix it. In the third, the Panthers and Buffalo got their game on and started burning the net off the ring, scoring 20 points each in the period. In the fourth, it was the same thing, but the Panthers couldn’t seem to go bucket for bucket with Buffalo. In the end, it was the Panthers taking it on the chin in a barn brawl losing by just 60-66. This was only their second loss of the season, and their record now stands at 7-2.
Curtis Litton played a high level game as he went to work in the paint scoring 21 points, seven of which were from the foul line. Colton Pritt also had a good game, knocking down 16 points of his own. The Panthers will be on the road for the next four games starting Tuesday night on Braxton’s home turf. This game should be another wild one since the Panthers beat the Eagles by 20 points the last time they met. This should be a good one, so don’t miss it. The Panthers are a great team and look to put their name in lights this season. The Panthers will return home on April 8th; come out and support them.