It was a busy week for the Panther basketball teams as they played three games over five days, at Manhattan on Tuesday, at Belgrade on Thursday and at Townsend on Saturday. The game at Manhattan was the makeup game that was snowed and frozen out in December.
GIRLS TOPPLE MANHATTAN Ellie Evertz started the Panthers scoring with the first four points, and Aubree McMaster and Paige Yanzick each followed with a three to give the Panthers a 10-0 lead in the first four and a half minutes. The Panthers went on to lead 14-8 at the end of one on baskets by McMaster and Hai- ley Rogne. Evertz started the second with a free throw and a pair of buckets, then Latrice Vossler hit a three to put the Panthers up 22-13. Rogne scored, Ashley Pankratz knocked down a three and then the two teams traded baskets for the rest of the half. Getting into the Panther scoring record as the half wound down were Callie Warfle and Leah Vossler, and the JHS girls held a 31-22 lead at the half. By the end of three, thanks to points from Evertz, Leah Vossler, McMaster and Yanzick, the Panther lead had stretched to twenty, 49-29. Before the game ended, the Panthers managed a 26 point lead, which the Tigers were only able to trim slightly, and the game ended with the JHS girls out front 54-31. Evertz had a great game with 21 points. Adding to the Panther tally were McMaster with 10, Leah Vossler 6, Latrice Vossler 5, Yanzick 4, Pankratz and Rogne 3 each, and Warfle 2.
BOYS TAKE CONFERENCE VICTORY In the boys’ game the early going found the two teams closely matched. Manhattan hit a three to start and Noah Fader answered with a three. Manhattan scored and Bryce Harrington answered. Josh Eckmann and Hayden Guisti each sank a bucket to give the Panthers a slight lead, 9-5, but the Tigers trimmed that to 9-8. Three 3-pointers in a row by Noah Fader put the Panthers up 18-8 but the last six points went to Manhattan to make it 18-14 at the end of one. Despite scoring by Harrington and Guisti, the Tigers pulled out to a 26-22 lead midway through the second quarter, but Eckmann and Nolan Sonsteng nailed threes to secure a 32-31 Panther lead at the half. The third quarter started strong for the Panthers, who moved out to a ten point lead thanks to an 11-12 run. The Tigers clawed their way back somewhat, and going into the final eight minutes, the Panthers held a slim six point lead, 45-39. The Panthers never trailed in the fourth, but it got exciting as the Tigers pulled to within one, 52-51, with 2:21 on the clock. The JHS boys hit enough free throws the rest of the way to pull out the important conference win, 58-51. Eckmann led the scoring with 15, followed closely by Sonsteng with 13, Noah Fader 12, Bryce Harrington 11, and Hayden Guisti 7.
GIRLS COMPETE AT BELGRADE Thursday the teams traveled to Belgrade for non-conference games. Since that is where the district tournament will be held this weekend, the contests were a good chance to play on the event center floor and get in some time shooting there. The baskets are different as there is no wall behind them like there is in most of the places Class B teams play and it does take some getting used to. The Lady Panthers got the action going in the first game after Belgrade put the first five points on the board. Aubree McMaster scored at the 6:43 mark, follow- ing that basket up with a three. Paige Yanzick sank a free throw, and Ellie Evertz stole the ball, leading to a pair of free throws by McMaster to give the Panthers an 8-7 lead four minutes into the game. The next six points went to Belgrade before McMaster hit a three at the end of the first, and the Panthers trailed 13-11. The Panthers were within one on a basket by Hailey Rogne three minutes into the first half but then the girls turned cold; they were getting the shots but they were not falling. Belgrade went up 21- 14 at the half. Leah Vossler broke the ice for JHS with 6:59 left in the third and the Panthers clawed their way to within five on baskets by Leah Vossler and McMaster to trail 25- 20. At that point, the lid went over the hoop again for the Panthers, and Belgrade took a 40-22 lead at the end of three. The Panthers outscored Belgrade 12 to 7 in the fourth to make it a good game, but the victory went to Belgrade, 47-34. McMaster had 17 points, Leah Vossler 10, Evertz and Rogne 3 each, and Yanzick 1.
SCORING WOES CONTINUE The JHS boys found the going tough as well, falling behind 2-14 in the first. The shooting woes continued in the second quarter; shots were clanking off the rim just a fraction of an inch from going through. Josh Eckmann hit a pair of free throws at the end of the half and JHS went into the halftime break behind 25-10. The Panthers started the third with seven free throws, five by Noah Fader and two by Hayden Guisti, to pull closer, 25-17. The JHS defense did its job holding Belgrade to three points in the third, and headed into the final round the score stood at 28-19, Belgrade. Belgrade found the range in the fourth, knocking down the first ten points to take the win 44-28. Fader led the Panthers with 11 points. Plagued by shots that just would not drop, Eckmann and Guisti each were held to only four points. Other scoring came from Harrington, Payton Loveridge, Avery Stiles and Tristan Edmisten.
CATS AND DOGS FACE OFF Saturday afternoon at a packed house in Townsend, it was wild and loud, high school basketball at its best. In the boys’ game the Townsend Bulldogs started with a three pointer, the first of what would end up being 13. Not sure if any team has ever hit 13 three pointers against a Panther team. Bryce Harrington scored to get the Cats on the board, and Noah Fader added an old fashioned three followed with a long three to put the Panthers up 8-3 with 5:48 left in the first. Townsend answered with back to back three’s and a two, before Harrington scored and Josh Eckmann made a pair of free throws, setting the score at 12-11, Panthers, with 47 seconds left. Townsend closed out the quarter with a bucket to take a 13-12 lead at the end of one. The Bulldogs pulled out to a double digit lead in the second. Nolan Sonsteng and Bryce Harrington narrowed the gap late in the half, but the Bulldogs were out front 35-24 at the break. Each team knocked down 15 in the third, with Lincoln Leary getting involved in the scoring for the Panthers. The eleven point Bulldog lead was preserved going into the final quarter, 50-39. The Panthers heated up in the fourth. Britton Peterson, Leary, Fader and Eckmann all hit three pointers, Eckmann two of the long range bombs, and they outscored the Bulldogs 20-17 for the quarter, but that was not enough with Townsend pulling out the win, 67-59. Eckmann had 18 points, Fader 17, Harrington 12, Leary 5, Peter- son 3, and Sonsteng and Guisti 2 each. Sonsteng missed most of the game after an injury benched him and required medical treatment.
GIRLS GIVE BULLDOGS A SCARE In the girls’ game Townsend started with the first ten points, before Aubree McMaster hit a pair of free throws four minutes into the game for the first Panthers points. She then added another pair of free throws and Ellie Evertz connected on a two pointer. The Panther defense held Townsend scoreless the last four minutes of the quarter and the score stood at 10-6, Bulldogs, at the end of one. Evertz scored the first six points for the Panthers in the second quarter and baskets by McMaster and Evertz tied the game at 16 with 3:53 left. Townsend held a narrow 20-18 lead at the half. The Panthers pulled ahead 25-21 on a three by McMaster with 3:29 left in the third but Townsend was able to hit at the buzzer to take a 32-28 lead. The Bulldogs increased that lead to 42-31 with 5:21 left but the Panthers came back. McMaster swished a free throw, Evertz a two, McMaster a two, and T. Vossler two baskets. Evertz tied the game at 42 with 1:46 left. The teams were knotted at 44 and 46, but Townsend was able to hit a two with 38 seconds left and then hold on for a 49-46 win. McMaster ked the Panthers with 22 points. The Panthers were playing without Leah Vossler who was injured in the game at Belgrade.
DISTRICT TOURNAMENT The 5B district basketball tournament is this Thursday-Saturday at Belgrade. It will be a great tournament you won’t want to miss. The Panther boys play at 3:00 on Thursday against Manhattan, and the Panther girls play at 6:00 against Whitehall.
