The streak is over at 16. On Saturday night, Jefferson High’s girls basketball team showed they’re not invincible. And Sweet Grass County showed why they’re the reigning state champs, handing the top-ranked Panthers their first loss of the season.
This was Senior Night in the Panthers’ home gym. And the first period was back-and-forth, as the Herders scored first with a 3-pointer, Cia Stuber answered with a 3-pointer, the next four points went to the Herders, Dakota Edmisten hit a 3-pointer, and Izzy Morris came back with 2 points to put the Panthers up 8-7.
It was tied at 12 when the Herders went on an 11-point run to make it 23-12. But then the Panthers came back: Edmisten hit a 3-pointer and then stole the ball and scored; and Austie May and Brynna Wolfe scored to tie the game at 27 at the half.
The third quarter was the difference. The Panthers came out cold—try as they did, the ball just did not want to go through the hoop. Jefferson found itself down 46-35 with eight minutes to play. It pulled to within 49-43 on May’s basket, but that was as close as it would get. The Herders knocked down seven of 15 free throws down the stretch to pull off the win.
Bailee Finn of Sweet Grass County led all scorers with 27 points. Edmisten led the Panthers with 17, while May had 10 and Rachel Van Blaricom 9.
The boys’ game was a different affair. Jake Genger hit a 3-pointer to start the scoring, and Trent McMaster and Tyler Harrington added 3-pointers to put the Panthers up 9-0. Luke Eckmann hit two of three free throws, Harrington added a 3-pointer and Jefferson had a 19-9 lead at the end of one.
Kuirt Gullings of the Herders started the second with a 3-pointer, but Wade Rykal and Genger hit shots and a third 3-pointer by Harrington made it 26-16. Rykal and Zach Zody added 4 points each, and McMaster scored as the half expired to give the Panthers a 40-21 lead.
The Panthers slowed down in the third. But Rykal scored 6 points, and Genger added 4, and the Panthers still had a 57-41 edge going into the final quarter. From there, 11 Panthers saw action, and the defense held the Herders to 6 points to take a 70-47 win. Harrington led the scoring with 16 points, while Rykal had 15, and Zody, McMaster and Genger had 9 each.
Two days earlier, Feb. 3, the Panther basketball teams had traveled to Ennis—and returned home with two wins. The Lady Panthers started slowly: It’s hard to believe, but the score was tied at just 2 after eight minutes. But MacKenzie Layng hit a 3-pointer to open the second period, Van Blaricom added a 2-pointer, Stuber a 3-pointer, and Wolfe hit one of each—and the Panthers had a 23-8 lead at the half.
Stuber, May and Wolfe kept hitting, and the Panthers built a commanding 43-18 lead at the end of three. And in the final quarter, they clamped down on defense and the offence took over: Stuber swished her third 3-pointer, Edmisten and Izzy Morris connected on 2-pointers, Morris stole the ball and scored, and the Panthers came out on top 57-26. The scoring was very balanced: Stuber led with 11 points, Van Blaricom and Wolfe had 10 each, and May and Layng each had 8.
The boys took control of their game from the start. Tom Meyer made a 2-pointer, Rykal blocked a shot, and Harrington hit a long 3-pointer followed by an old-fashioned 3-pointer to lead the Panthers to a 16-7 lead after one. Eckmann’s 3-pointer made it 21-11, but Ennis closed the gap to 29-23 at the half.
Early in the third, Ennis pulled within two, at 29-27. A 3-pointer by Harrington, a pair of free throws by Rykal and a 2-pointer by McMaster put the Panthers up 36-27, but the Mustangs were not ready to throw in the towel, pulling to 45-43 before Harrington hit his third 3-pointer of the game for a 48-43 edge going into the final eight minutes of play.
Two old-fashioned 3-pointers by Rykal and Harrington pushed the Panther lead to 54-43, and back-to-back 3-pointers by Harrington and another by Eckmann made it 69-50. Mike Emter closed out the scoring with a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 74-59 win.
Harrington, who has been steady all year, led the Panthers with 27 points, including five 3-pointers. Rykal added 18, Eckmann 10, and McMaster 6.
This Saturday the Panthers host Broadwater for the final games of the regular season. The C boys start at 1 p.m. in the south gym followed by JV boys at 2:30 p.m. JV girls play in the north gym at 2:30 p.m., followed by varsity girls at 4 p.m. and varsity boys at 5:30 p.m.
