Lady Panthers bounce back into shape

By Clara Aucoin
GCN Senior Reporter

  After a couple of early season losses, the Lady Panthers had the opportunity to get their game in gear and gather a few wins at home last week against Pinnacle Charter and against Sheridan last Tuesday night. No league games will commence until after the first of next year.

  When the Panthers hosted Pinnacle Charter, a team they defeated in volleyball, it wasn’t pretty for the guests. Ned dominated all aspects of the game, eventually rolling to a 66-19 win. The game helped to salve an early season trouncing the Panthers themselves had suffered. The girls didn’t try to run up the score, they played the entire bench.

  Against Sheridan, the Rams are in Class 3A, and not a league contender. And although the score was closer, there was no doubt the Panthers would come out on the winning end, which they did, 38-23.

  Nederland does not have big numbers this year, but they have a go to girl by the name of Carrie Zimbleman. Her abilities are no secret in the leagues. Zimbleman is double and triple teamed by opponents, but it is hard to stop the senior who does so much more than score points. Unselfish, she will grab a rebound and dish off a pass to a teammate, and in a pinch, she will take over and run point, handling the ball well enough to make that happen. Shooting and rebounding round out her dominating skills.

  The Panthers started with a press against the Rams, who, it seems, had athleticism as one of their more refined skills. Turnovers were forced, and the Panthers got a lead. But then began turning the ball over themselves during a mental lapse in the second quarter that allowed the Rams to ease into a tie, then a short term lead.

  After the Panthers snapped back to attention, they showed how quickly they could put points on the board, with Zimbleman sinking a lay up, then another off an inbounds steal, and Leigh Ann Slinger dropped in a long range three-point missile that took the Panthers into the half with a comfortable lead.

  In the second half, the Rams apparently left something in the locker room. They came out cold; the Panthers hit the court hot. They were playing well, passing, running, and putting the basket in the hole. By the two minute mark of the third quarter, the Ned ladies had built up a 28-18 lead, and then at the end of the quarter had a 30-18 lead.

  With a comfortable lead, the Panthers really let it out in the fourth quarter. The game plan, if there was one, was to go deep, throw an outlet pass from baseline to baseline, and then have a Panther, normally Zimbleman, lay the ball into the net. It worked – over and over it worked. But the Panthers were able to play their bench, they were able to try girls in different positions, they were able to work on their game, which despite their 3-3 record has some rough edges.

  Complete statistics were unavailable, but Carrie Zimbleman led with 22 points, Leigh Ann Slinger had three points, Chelsea Chandler had two points, Kelly McCaffrey had nine points, and Shawneese Baretta had two points.

  The Panthers will play at home on Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. but may be changed. Call the school to make sure.