Lady Panthers take first place at Manila tournament

RBC | The Rangely Panthers girls’ varsity and JV teams traveled to Manila, Utah, to take part in the Manila Holiday Classic. Last year the Panthers captured the first place spot in the tournament and again in 2017 the Panthers came away champions.
In their first game the Panthers took on the Winged Lions of Rowland Hall Academy (Salt Lake City). The Panthers again had to overcome a slow start and were able to catch fire. The Panthers took an 18-10 lead and were led on the first half by Katelyn Brown who had 14 of her 23 total points. In the second half Katelyn Brown and younger sister, Kassidee Brown led the offensive charge with four of her 10 total points. Head coach Jimmie Mergelman was pleased with the girls’ work in the second half as the Panthers held the Winged Lions to only 11 total points and only one point in the entire fourth quarter. The Panthers ran away with the lead and ended the game with a 57-29 victory.
On Saturday the Panthers played Intermountain Christian Academy. The Panthers came out on fire and found themselves up by 20 points before the end of the first quarter. Offensively the Panthers were led again by Katelyn Brown who had 24 points, 22 of the 24 points from Brown came in the first and second quarters. Also with Brown, junior Skylar Thacker was able to score 12 points to aid in the 64-29 Panther victory which secured the Championship trophy for the Panthers for the second consecutive year. Junior Mackenzie Cochrane also had her best offensive game of the season so far by adding eight points of her own. “Coming back here and taking care of business again is a great feeling and something to take with us to build on through the holiday break.”
The Panthers JV girls team also traveled to Manila and came away with a 1-1 record. The Panther fell to Rowland Hall Academy 33-18 in their first game. The Panthers then took on the Mustangs from Manila High School and came away with a 38-31 victory.
After the Panthers come off of the holiday break they will host the Hayden Tigers on Jan. 4 with JV at 4 p.m. and varsity at 5:30 p.m. On the next day, Saturday, Jan. 5 the Panthers will travel to Oak Creek, Colo., to take on the tough Soroco Rams.