There is something about a dunked basketball that is just exciting — especially for someone like me who can hardly jump up and touch the net or hold a basketball upside down with one hand. It gets your heart racing.
So the opening play of the Jefferson High boys’ basketball game Jan. 11 against Broadwater put a smile on my face. Dalton Noble tipped the opening jump ball to Colt Tietje, who passed to Hunter Stevens. Stevens went straight to the basket and slammed in a dunk.
That certainly got the Panther fans into the game. In my 33 years of covering sports for The Monitor, I don’t remember a start like that.
Then, there was the rest of the game. A pair of 3-point baskets by Marcus Lee gave the Panthers a 15-9 lead, and another basket by Stevens made it 18-9. But the Bulldogs came back to make it 20-19 before Parker Wagner scored at the buzzer to give the Panthers a 22-19 lead at the end of one.
The teams traded baskets in the early part of the second quarter, before an old-fashioned three by Noble gave the Panthers a 41-37 lead at the half. The evenly matched squads kept it exciting in the third quarter, tied at 50 before Kael Hesford knocked down a three to put the Panthers up 57-54 going into the final period.
Kellen Meredith and Stevens took over in the last 8 minutes of play, with Stevens scoring 15 points and Meredith 10 as the Panthers took the win, 80-68. Stevens led the Panthers with 26, while Lee had 18, Noble 13, and Meredith 11.
The Lady Panthers kept their winning streak alive with a convincing 65-35 victory over the Bulldogs. Cameron Toney started the scoring with a 3-pointer off the corner, then stole the ball and scored. Baskets by Ryian Eveland and Jaida Jurenka made it 13-2, MacKenzie Layng hit a pair of free throws and Toney finished off the quarter with a free throw to give the Panthers a 16-7 lead.
Brooklyn Miller made a steal and fed Layng for a three, Arena Faler put in 7 points and the Panthers took a commanding 34-9 lead at the half. Jefferson slowed down in the third quarter and Broadwater took advantage by outscoring the Panthers 16-9. But that all changed in the fourth, when eight of the 10 Panthers scored, racking up 22 points to Broadwater’s 10.
Toney led the Panthers with 17 points, while Faler put in 13 and Layng 10.
Saturday’s sports action was canceled due to the extremely cold weather, with temperatures that sank to 42 below in parts of Jefferson County. The basketball squads’ home games against White Sulphur Springs, a non-conference match-up, were postponed. And the cold kept the wrestling squad from traveling to Choteau for its weekend tournament.
The wrestlers will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 18, with a home dual against Eureka, starting at 5 p.m. The Panthers are ranked fourth in the state, and Eureka is second, so it should be an exciting meet for Senior Night; a great crowd would be a real boost. The Class B dual tournament follows this weekend in Townsend.
The basketball teams tip off Friday afternoon at Three Forks.
