Hardworking Panthers earn rest

Clara Aucoin
GCN Senior Reporter

  Fatigued and struggling, the Panthers gutted out two hard fought wins and earned themselves a well deserved Christmas break. When they return, they will enter league play and they know they better be ready to play.

  On the road last Wednesday the Panthers traveled to Sheridan, a 3-A team that was projected to be a tough game. Coming off a sloppy loss against Pinnacle Charter, the coaches wondered which Panther team would show up. They were in luck.

  The Panthers came out early dominating the Rams. In the first quarter they made a statement they planned to leave with a win, pushing to a 16-6 lead at the end by the whistle. Nothing changed in the second or third quarters, and when the Panthers had the game safely in hand, Coach Chris Mischke went to his bench. Although the Rams outscored the Panthers in that final quarter 17-10, the cushion was enough to allow the Panthers to take a win home with them on a late night bus ride.

  During the game senior Mike Gilbert finally hit his stride. Gilbert has been tauted for his scoring ability in preseason predictions and has been heavily guarded. Until Sheridan he had trouble getting into the flow of his game. But when it happened, his pent up frustrations led to 22 points from the floor. Jason Baumhover was second in scoring, pitching in 13 points, even with a right shoulder not yet healed. Josh Lederach who has been shouldering the majority of the Panther scoring responsibilities from the outside for the first portion of the season put in nine points, and he was following by Colin Hickey with six points, Jon Monserud with five points, Alan Richards with five points, and Brian Buell with three points.

  On Wednesday night, the Panthers hosted Shining Mountain, a fast physical team. Ned was the more talented of the two, but the Panthers would have to play to win. It was iffy for a bit.

  Shining Mountain appeared to have scouted the Panthers. They came out in a defense that shut down the baseline, then the Lions settled back into a zone defense that also had them boxing out the bigger Nederland team. Ned was not getting rebounds and the shots were not falling. It took the Panthers almost the first quarter to get into the flow of the game, time and Coach Mischke encouraged the boys to get it in gear. Then the shooting started heating up and points began to add up. The Panthers took a 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

  The Nederland defense started to play in the second quarter and absolutely smothered the Lions. Meanwhile, the Lions were contributing to their own demise by keying on Mike Gilbert inside, and the effort was tiring the flat land team. While Gilbert was neutralized, Lederach started picking up the pace, landing some long 2’s,  and the Panthers went to the locker room with a 31-14 margin.

  Shining Mountain took the floor in the third quarter with a different game plan. The running team took the air out of the ball and began a deliberate offense. The plan was to shoot good shots and keep the Panthers from running. The other significant development in the third quarter was the foul calling picked up - most of it against the Panthers. Ultimately, in a lopsided count, the Lions went to the free throw line 17 times as compared to the Panthers’ three. The first casualty was Josh Lederach who had to go to the bench with his third foul, then his fourth. But there was no overcoming the Panther lead. In the fourth quarter Coach Chris Mischke cleared the bench, but the Panthers coasted to a 59-42 win.

  Gilbert managed 13 points on the evening, following by Colin Hickey with 12 points, Josh Lederach with nine points, Jason Baumhover had eight points, Alan Richards scored six points, Brian Buell and Jon Monserud had four points, and John Little finished with three points. Coach Chris Mischke said the team was tired from the previous late night, and he was disappointed in their defense. “The second quarter is the only time they played defense, but a win is a win,” said the coach.  

  The Panthers first game after break will be to participate in the NJC Tournament in Sterling on January 7-8. League competition begins with a home game against Alexander Dawson on January 14, game time is 4 p.m.