Tuesday evening, January 4th, the Panthers hosted the Red Lodge Rams in a district 4-B contest. The original game was postponed before Christmas break. Christmas break was tough on the Panthers as some of the players ended up with the flu bug and it had its lingering effects on Tuesday’s game. For those Panther fans who have come to the games they have watched a group of kids who work extremely hard for 32 minutes. Tuesday was no exception as the Panthers worked their tails off all night but I am afraid they have sore feet. For all of their efforts and hustle nothing seemed to go their way and they kept shooting themselves in the foot. The Panthers played well on defense and wouldn’t block out and Red Lodge would get a cheap bucket from the offensive glass. The Panthers would get a deflection and steal but would turn it over or miss the bunny. The Panthers got 18 of their offensive boards only to miss multiple opportunities at the rim. With all of that the Panthers trailed 37-31 at the end of the third quarter. I am not sure what it is about the fourth quarter but the Panthers flipped a switch and the come back was on. AJ hit a couple of three-point shots, Jordan had 4 offensive rebounds in the quarter, Kylen scored on two inbounds plays that were executed to perfection, and the Panthers made 6 of their 11 free throws in the quarter. Overall, Jace led the team with 19 rebounds, Braedan had his most complete game of the season, and Morgan, Dustin, Thomas, and Jared filled in with some great bench play to help the Panthers to another victory, 49-44.
Scoring was as follows: Braedan Bilden 14, Jace Lemmel 12, AJ Gray 11, Kylen Wolff 8, and Jordan Olson 4.
Friday evening was a tougher task on two fronts. The Columbus Cougars are the best team in the district and the Panthers were shorthanded with two players home sick. The Panthers put up a great effort but it was obvious from the start of the game that Columbus the dominant team. Columbus brought some full court pressure that created some turnovers but mostly just wore out the Panthers. The Panthers tried but could do nothing to stop the Cougar tide. Kylen had a solid game on the offensive end, leading the Panthers with 13 points. Morgan lead the team in rebounding(7) and assists (4). Braedan had 4 steals to shore up the defensive end but the Cougars were to much for the Panthers and won, 66-23.
Scoring was as follows: Kylen Wolff 13, Jordan Olson 4, Braedan Bilden 4, and Jared Freitas 2.
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