Whitehall came to town for some basketball last Thursday — and they left a bit bruised, with both squads dominated by Jefferson High’s hoopsters in front of a packed and happy gym.
The lady Panthers scored a convincing 61-19 win. Ryian Eveland put the first two baskets in the books, then Cameron Toney stole the ball and was fouled on her shot; she sank both free throws to put Jefferson up early, 6-0, Whitehall put in the next 5 points, but the Panthers answered with a big run: Erica Shields hit a pair of free throws, Parker Layng scored, Jaida Jurenka followed with a three and the Panthers were up 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Jefferson exploded in the second: Toney started with a free throw, Eveland stole the ball and scored, and Brooklyn Miller put in a pair of free throws. Then Toney and KK Morris hit back-to-back three-pointers, and Morris, followed with another to make it 35-11 at the half.
By the end of the third, it was 49-15. And the Panthers sealed the deal in the final 8 minutes with a three by Jurenka followed by a two-pointers by Brianna Layng and Evelyn Hansen. Jurenka and Eveland both had 12 points, Toney 11, Brooklyn Miller 6, Brianna Layng 5, Parker Layng and Shields 4, Morris 3, and Hansen and Meridith Rieder 2 each.
The boys followed suit with a 67-19 romp. The Panthers jumped out to a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, then held Whitehall scoreless in the second to take a commanding 39-7 halftime lead.
Wyatt Geier started the scoring in the third, and Jed Williams came up with a big blocked shot to energize the fans. Another block by Hunter Stevens sent the sound level in the gym up a notch, and Williams ended the period with a bucket to give the Panthers a 53-13 lead.
The 40-point mercy rule went into effect, keeping the clock running, and Jefferson’s subs saw a lot of playing time. Cobe Burnett hit back-to-back shots, Caleb Morris sank a three, and Danny Connors’ basket finished it off. Kellen Meredith led the scoring with 17 points, while Geier had 15, Tyler Frydenlund 10, Williams 6, Connors and Tyzer Zody 5, Burnett 4, Morris 3, and Tyson Lee 2.
Saturday night’s contests against Ennis were much tighter, with the boys taking a close game, 61-58, and the Lady Panthers suffering their first conference loss, 55-52.
Ennis led the boys’ game for the first four minutes, but the Panthers came back: A great save by Frydenlund put some spark into the offense, and Jefferson took an 18-10 first-quarter lead. The score stayed close in the second, with a commanding dunk by Geier firing up the crowd and helping the Panthers to a 33-30 margin at the half.
Stevens started the third with a basket, but the next 6 points went to Ennis. Then Williams and Frydenlund each hit a pair of free throws, and Frydenlund added two more and a basket to put the Panthers up 41-38. Wyatt Mosher completed an old fashioned three and Cobe Burnett nailed a three at the end of the third for a 55-47 lead. And Jefferson withstood an Ennis surge in the final minutes to take the win. Frydenlund led the scoring with 18 points; Geier had 14, Stevens 8, Williams 6, Zody and Meredith 5 each, Burnett 3, and Morris 2.
The Lady Panthers suffered a tough loss. Down early, Morris and Parker Layng made it 12-14, and Layng’s half-court heave nearly gave Jefferson the lead – but the referee ruled that the buzzer had sounded before the shot.
Jefferson took the lead in the second period, and it held a 31-24 lead at the half. But Ennis chipped away tied the score at 42 after three, and started the final period with four free throws to take a 46-42 lead. Miller and Toney scored to tie the game at 48, but Ennis took a 52-48 lead with less than a minute to play, and closed it out from there. A great game by both teams. Eveland led the Panthers with 12 points, while Toney added 10, Morris 8, Miller 6, Parker Layng 3, Jurenka, Brianna Layng and Reider 3 each, and Shields 2.
This week the basketball squads will be at Townsend on Friday and host Manhattan Christian on Saturday.
