Lady Panthers lose at home, win on the road

RANGELY I The lady Panthers lost at home to the Paonia Eagles 34-66 in a non-league game but came home from Hayden Saturday last with a 42-33 league victory. The lady Panthers are now 5-2 in league games and 9-5 overall. They will host the North Park lady Wildcats this Saturday.
“We played the first half well, then didn’t show up in the second,” head coach Jimmie Mergelman said of the home game against the Eagles.
The lady Panthers kept pace with Paonia in the first quarter where each team scored 15 points. Quincey Thacker led with five in the first quarter and lone senior Haeley Enterline went four-for-four from the free throw line. The Eagles scored 21 in the second quarter and led by 10 at halftime before outscoring Rangely 30-8 in the second half.
Thacker led all scorers with 12. Holli Lepro added eight, Brittany Babineaux five, Enterline four, Kelsey Prosser and Hailee Russell each scored two against Paonia and Amiee Hernandez made a free throw.
Getting out of town was good for the lady Panthers as they traveled to Hayden for a game against the Hayden Tigers.
“We came out ready to go and we played well,” Mergelman said of the league match and credited the team’s defense as the “key” to the victory.
“Brittany did an excellent job on defense and Kelsey also stepped up and did good things for us last weekend,” Mergelman said.
Rangely scored 10 points in the second and held the Tigers to five to take an 18-11 lead at halftime.
Thacker scored 12 of her game high 20 points in the third quarter and held Hayden’s top scorer to well under her game average.
“Quincey played well all around, holding Erin Kohler to 16, when she has been averaging 25 a game,” Mergelman said. “Our defense was key this game, we only allowed them to take eight threes and they did not make any of them, when they have been averaging about six threes per game.”
Babineaux scored nine and Russell seven, while Enterline and Aimee Hogan each added a basket.