Panther Basketball

Lesley Petrie

2/2/2006 - The Nederland Lady Panthers faced off against the Academy Wildcats on Tuesday, January 31 in a thrilling game that was perhaps the finest demonstration of Nederland's basketball talent on court.

  Nederland led early in the first period with sophomore Shawneese Baratta and junior Chelsea Chandler making repeated shots for Nederland. Yet, the fouls called on Nederland players allowed the Academy to tie the game with 11 points and roughly 1:20 on the clock. The opposing team's success with their foul shots pulled them into the lead over the Panthers, and the period ended with a score of 19-13 Wildcats.

  Period two and three showed similar trends in the Panthers' game, as they struggled to overcome the Academy on the scoreboard. Chandler and senior Rachel Neiman experienced mild success at the basket, as Chandler pulled together a strong offense with multiple steals in the game and Neiman made a critical interception of the Wildcats' ball. At the end of the second, Nederland trailed by 5 points, and brought their score to within a basket of the Wildcats in the third.

  The Academy and Nederland remained neck and neck with under five minutes remaining in the game and a tied score of 40 points. The future seemed dim for Nederland when the Academy nailed a basket with less than 50 seconds remaining. Yet miraculously, Chandler hit a three-point shot, and went back for another basket with an assist from Kayla Steffek before the buzzer. As the crowd roared tumultuously with praise, the Panthers closed the game with a victory of 45-42 Nederland.

  The Nederland Boys Varsity also took home a win for Nederland on Tuesday, as the Panthers demolished the Wildcats on court with a final score of 62-44 Nederland. Senior Bryce Howard made the first shot of the evening, and shortly afterward AJ Arceo hit a beautiful three-point shot. Senior Josh Lederach also had one steal and a basket, which eased Nederland into the lead. Arceo closed out the period with yet another three-pointer, and brought the score to 14-10 Panthers.

  In the second period the Panthers continued to dominate, and Arceo nailed two more three-point shots. The Panthers' game really took off in the third though, as the Wildcats deteriorated, and soon the Panthers had a nine-point lead thanks to players Arceo and center Eric Buchholtz.

  In the fourth, the Wildcats repeatedly fouled junior Dominique Pascal, who proved strong in his free throws, and increased the Panther lead substantially. Two technical fouls were called on the Academy, and the Panthers squeezed two points out of the call. The Wildcats trailed by an insurmountable difference, while shots made by Arceo kept the Panthers' lead untouchable. The fourth quarter ended with Arceo making a basket seconds before the buzzer, and the Panthers smiled at their score of 62 points and their well-deserved victory.

  The Nederland Panthers will face off Thursday, February 2 at home against Peak to Peak, with the game times to be announced.