By Allen Hamrick
The Panthers only got to play one game this week with games against Braxton and Lewis counties being cancelled. Roane County was up on the chopping block for the Panthers who were coming off a loss to Buffalo at their homecoming that was still stuck in their crawl. So, it would be full on basketball to try and get back in the winner’s circle. The loss to Buffalo was just the second of the year for the Panthers, and they are now 8-2 for the season.
The game started with neither team getting the upper hand and progressed slower than normal, as if the boys were still digesting Sunday’s dinner. The Raiders took the lead after the first period with the score 15-12 after a slow start by the Panthers. It all changed in the second period. Offense kicked in and defense built a wall around the hoop, allowing little scoring opportunities for the Raiders.
When the gloves finally came off, it was “A game” time in the second period. The Panthers nailed 23 points to the board in an all out assault on the net while the Raiders took on a chill and scored just 11 points. It was the tomb after that for the Raiders as they just couldn’t penetrate the defense of the Panthers, and they never again scored in the double digits. It was a great game with all the Panthers taking a cut at the score board, and when it was over, the Panthers took home the win. The final score was Panthers 68, Raiders 43. Colton Pritt was dropping threes like a dive bomber, scoring a whopping 22 points. He was followed closely by Curtis Litton with 17 and Grant Krajeski knocking down 10 of his own. The Panthers will be back in action in Webster County on April 6th and back home in the LKC placement game on April 8th. Come out for some great basketball action. Go Panthers!
