The Lady Panthers did well last week, earning two conference wins.
Friday they took on Manhattan in the Panther home gym. The Panthers started a little sluggish in the first quarter, perhaps because they had been waiting quite awhile with the boys’ game going two overtimes. Callie Warfle put in the first Panther points, Ellie Evertz hit a free throw and a two-pointer, and Ashley Pankratz tied the game at 7. Evertz gave the Panthers a 9-7 lead, but Manhattan responded with a three to go up 10-9 at the end of one.
Evertz stole the ball and scored to start the second, Mykala Edmisten made it 13-10, Panthers, and Leah Vossler stole the ball and scored. The Panthers had their largest lead of the half when Haydin Henschel hit a three to make it 21-16. The Tigers were not willing to give up, though, and went on a 6-2 run to make it 23-22, Panthers, at the end of the half.
The first four points of the third went to the Tigers. The Panthers answered with the next five points to go up 28-26.. Tied at 28 with five minutes left, the Tigers slowly hit enough baskets to take a 36-30 lead. Emily McGinnis rebounded a missed shot and put it in for two, Vossler took a long pass from McMaster and laid it up for two, and McMaster ended the third with a three-pointer to pull the Panthers within three, 40- 37 at the end of three.
A steal and score by Ashton Oxarart started the fourth, and Evertz put the Panthers up 43-40 but it was not over yet. Manhattan hit a three to tie things up. With 44 seconds on the clock, the score was tied again at 52. Trips to the free-throw line, where Pankratz hit one and McMaster two, gave the Panthers a hard-fought 55-52 victory.
The hearty Panther fans, some of whom had already sat through six overtimes on the night, sighed with relief.
McMaster led the Panthers with 15 points, Evertz 10, Vossler 8, Warfle 7, Henschel 5, McGinnis and Pankratz 3 each, and Oxarart and Edmisten 2 apiece.
DEFENSE KEY TO WIN AT WHITEHALL
Next up was a trip to Whitehall on Saturday. An improved Whitehall team gave the Panthers a run in the first half.
Evertz put the Panthers on the board first on an assist by McMaster, but the next four points went to Whitehall. McMaster fired up the Panther offense, hitting a three, a two, and another three to tie the game at 10 but Whitehall scored at the buzzer to take a 12-10 lead into the second quarter.
The Trojans moved out to a 19-10 lead before McMaster answered with two three-pointers. A steal by Warfle, a free throw by Evertz, and a pair of free throws by McMaster tied the game at 19. A shot by Henschel appeared to go halfway through the hoop but somehow came back out. She then hit a pair of free throws to give the Panthers a 21-19 advantage at the half.
Whitehall knotted the score with a bucket to start the third, but the Panthers shifted into high gear and sped away. A Pankratz three followed shortly after by a three from McMaster got the Panthers back out front. Vossler scored and then blocked a Trojan shot and stole the ball, and the Panthers were up 37-31 after three.
The fourth saw the Panthers struggling to score. Fortunately, the defense was doing its
job. The first points for the Panthers in the fourth came on a two by McGinnis with 1:24 remaining. Edmisten hit a three and followed with a pair of free throws to end the game and give the Panthers a 46-37 win.McMaster netted 28 points including six three-pointers to lift the Panthers to victory. Edmisten, whose points all came in the final two minutes, was the next highest Panther scorer with five.
