Looking to avenge the previous loss and advance to the quarterfinals of the district tournament was the Panthers’ number one goal of the game. The game went back and forth as each team traded the lead in the first half. At the end of the first quarter the Rams held a slight 10-8 lead over the Panthers. Heading into the halftime break, the Panthers found themselves still down in the score by seven points, 24-17. Hot-shooting by the Rams fueled their first-half performance. The Panthers consistently rebounded and played great defense but the Rams were able to convert on numerous shots throughout the first half to give them the seven-point advantage.
In the third quarter the Panthers could not get into an offensive rhythm to bring the lead of the game back into their advantage. The Rams added 11 more points to the Panthers seven to make the score 35-24 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Panthers were able to find their best offensive rhythm of the game. The Panthers outscored the Rams 21-20 in the quarter but this was not enough to overcome the advantage held by the Rams. The Panthers fell to the Rams by 10 points 45-55. Offensively the Panthers were led in scoring by Mary Scoggins with 15 points, Kacie Lapp with 12, Hannah Wilkie with 11, Zoey Peck with five and Adelynn Halcomb and Shauna Lapp added one point each to the score. With the loss the Panthers were pushed to the consolation bracket of the district tournament where they played the Paonia Eagles on Thursday, Feb. 27 at DeBeque High School.
The Panthers were once again looking to avenge a regular-season loss to the Paonia Eagles and chance to play for fifth place which would advance the Panthers to the Colorado Regional Tournament. Unfortunately the quick pace of the game proved to be too much for the Panthers as they fell to the Eagles 29-34. Offensively the Lady Panthers were led in scoring by Hannah Wilkie with 12 points, and Mary Scoggins with 11. This loss marked the end of three high school careers for senior Panthers Hannah Wilkie, Zoey Peck and Susan Gillard.
For the season the lady Panthers ended with a 13-8 overall record with a 6-5 record in league play. The Panthers will return three of their five starters and will look to fill those spots from their lower classes who all experienced numerous varsity minutes throughout the season. The Panthers will return for next season with seniors Kacie Lapp and Dixie Rhea, juniors Mary Scoggins, Adelynn Halcomb, Shauna Lapp, Elyssa Byers, and sophomores Rylee Allred and Kyrah Phelps.
