The Panthers traveled to Forsyth last Thursday to challenge the Dogies in a non-conference game. Forsyth presents the same challenge we have faced most of the year and that is they had tremendous size. The one advantage the Panthers had was their depth and bench play. Both teams started the game slow offensively as the outside jumpers wouldn’t fall. The Panthers started in a man defense with an emphasis on keeping their big guards in front of them. The defense didn’t want their guards to get going downhill so to speak as they are difficult to defend with their size. The dogies started in a 1-3-1 half court defense and packed it in daring us to shoot. The Panther offense wasn’t as patient as they needed to be but slowly began to work the Dogie defense. MaKale and Tanner each hit a three. AJ had a great drive, finish, and made free throw for an old fashion three point play. The Panthers had a four point lead at the end of the first. Both teams warmed up in the second quarter. The Dogies hit a few deep jumpers and the Panthers countered with back screens and cuts for some easy buckets. Michael, Kaide, MaKale, and AJ did a great job of keeping their guards from getting easy looks. The defense really made them earn every shot. The Panther led by 5 entering the fourth quarter. The Dogies scored the first six points to take a one point lead. Our next trip down the floor Tanner buried a three to put us ahead for good. Dylan scored 10 of his game high 23 in the fourth quarter and the Panthers pulled it out, 58-49.
Scoring was as follows: Ryder Klein 2, Jace Lemmel 2, Michael McHenry 2, AJ Gray 3, Kaide Griffith 3, Colton Kinn 6, MaKale Kembel 7, Tanner Rae 12, and Dylan Sanner 23.
Friday night the Panthers hosted the Joliet Jayhawks in a conference battle. The Panthers have gotten off to some slow starts this year but Friday’s game was different. The Panther defense created turnovers for easy layups and Ryder picked apart the 1-3-1 half court trap with some great passing for a quick 11-0 lead. The Jayhawks always play with a lot of grit and Friday was no different. They clawed back to 11-9 when the Panthers finished the quarter on a 6-0 run. Michael got a couple of layups from our pressure which opened up the Panther lead. In the second quarter the Jayhawks found their rhythm and the Panthers forgot how to move their feet. Time after time the Jayhawks put the ball on the floor and attacked the rim with minimal resistance by the Panthers. The Jayhawks led 31-25 at the half. The Panthers did not start the third quarter as well as they started the game and fell behind by 12 midway through the quarter. The effort was there but shots just wouldn’t fall. The Panthers forced the issue on offense which didn’t make it any better and became frustrated. Defense was the saving grace in the second half. Dylan, Tanner, and Jace did a better job of defending inside, rebounding, and keeping the offensive guys out of the lane. Michael and MaKale began to wreak havoc and the comeback was on. MaKale finally found his three point stroke and the crowd had something to cheer about. The fourth quarter was dominated by the Panthers on both ends for a 54-48 victory.
Scoring was as follows: Jace Lemmel 2, AJ Gray 2, Michael McHenry 10, Dylan Sanner 12, MaKale Kembel 13, and Tanner Rae 15.
Saturday evening the Panthers ended their weekend with a trip to Baker. As fast as the Panthers got out of the gate Friday night they were stuck in the gate Saturday night. The Panthers did score a point in the first quarter and trailed 11-0. Tanner made a three in the second quarter to break the ice but the offense struggled mightily. The defense didn’t have the same bite and fire that was displayed the previous two nights and the Panthers trailed 20-8 at the halfway point. The Panthers extended their pressure and began to make some shots. Kaide and MaKale caught fire from beyond the arc and Jace came off the bench to get some put back scores. The Panthers closed the gap to one point multiple times but could never catch a break to get over the hump. Baker won 38-33.
Scoring was as follows: AJ Gray 2, Tanner Rae 5, Jace Lemmel 7, MaKale Kembel 7, and Kaide Griffith 12.
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