Nederland Boys' Basketball

Lesley Petrie

2/16/2006 - The Nederland Boys' Varsity suffered a similar fate to that of the Lady Panthers, but their defeat was slightly more devastating, as the Panthers kept close and had a chance to overtake the Crusaders by the end of the first half. The Panthers' game closed out with a final score of 75-59 Maranatha, and it was bye-bye to what would have been a satisfying win against a difficult team to beat.

  In the first period, the Panthers’ presence on court was prominent as players Josh Lederach, Spencer Greiner, and AJ Arceo set the tone for a confident half on the Panthers' home turf. Lederach, Arceo, and Howard each had a steal in the first period, and Greiner made two shots with an assist from Arceo. However, the star of this quarter was Arceo himself, who made a lay-up and three 3-point shots for Nederland. Soon, Nederland led 15-12, and Howard ended the period with two successful shots for the Panthers.

  Maranatha tightened their game early within the second period, and crept up behind the Panthers on the scoreboard. Yet, junior Dominique Massa kept the Panthers and the Crusaders neck-and-neck with two shots in the second. Lederach nailed a beautiful three-pointer and tied the game at 28-28, just after Maranatha had squeezed ahead of the Panthers.

  Period three, however, began the Panthers’ descent from victory. Maranatha unleashed a wrath on the Panthers’ score as they tacked point after point onto their tally with clean baskets and a strong defense. The Panther crowd could sense the tension between players Greiner and Arceo, who got into a verbal dispute on court. The Crusaders wore down the Panthers' lead, and despite some success by players Greiner and Arceo at the basket, Maranatha led 45-36 at the end of period three.

  Early in the fourth, Maranatha stopped Nederland from shooting except for a three-point shot made by Arceo. The Crusaders' score soon reached 56-46 over the Panthers. A succession of fouls called on the Nederland Panthers also led to Maranatha’s success in attaining points from their free throws. The Panthers maxed-out with a score of 59 points in the game, thanks to the three-point shots from Arceo and Lederach and some limited success in the paint. Maranatha, however, blasted past Nederland with an insurmountable lead of 16 points late in the fourth. Maranatha led when the buzzer rang, and the final score was 75-59.

  The boys' varsity will host one more home game before district and regional playoffs against Denver Academy on Friday, February 17, with varsity beginning at 6:15 p.m.