Undermanned JV Panthers fall to Wildcats 53-43
A sophomore guard drives the ball to the hole. The Panthers were able to get to the free throw line often by driving to the basket, but failed to convert on several attempts.
January 22, 2018
Saturday afternoon, the JV boys basketball team played against the Whitewater Wildcats for the second time this season. After defeating the Wildcats 41-33 in their first matchup, Starr’s Mill failed to sweep the season series.
“We need to take care of the basketball,” head coach Kerry Evert said. “We turned the ball over way too much, so we couldn’t get off any shots.”
Two Panther players contest a layup by a Wildcat. The team played good defense in stretches, but were unable to do so consistently.
Missing sophomores George Langham and Jabian Lynch, two key players, the team was left with only four subs, making fatigue a major factor and limiting scoring options.
Sophomore Camden Sutherland stepped up and led Starr’s Mill with 12 points.
The first quarter started off well for the Panthers until Whitewater went on a 10-0 run, leaving the young squad searching for answers. A combination of not being able to handle the pressure and silly turnovers prevented Starr’s Mill from reclaiming the lead, ending the quarter with a five point deficit.
The Panthers and the Wildcats exchanged baskets for the majority of the second quarter. The scoring came from multiple players on both sides. As the half was coming to a close, Starr’s Mill went on a 9-2 run to take the lead with one minute to go, and maintained the lead to end the half with 29 points to Whitewater’s 26.
The momentum from the second quarter carried over after halftime, as Starr’s Mill started the second half by getting to the foul line often and playing great defense, with sophomore Barrett Hester blocking a shot and stealing the ball twice.
“We were impatient and rushing it,” Sutherland said. “They were coming down and scoring and we couldn’t come back from it.”
The fourth quarter was the opposite of the third, as the Panthers began to fall apart, turning the ball over even more than in the first half and committing several unnecessary fouls. Whitewater capitalized on the team’s mistakes, seemingly scoring and drawing fouls at will to close out the game. The game ended 53-43 in favor of the visiting Wildcats.
JV boys’ and JV girls’ will both be in the spotlight this Wednesday at home against Harris County. The girls’ game begins at 4:30 p.m., and the boys’ game will follow.
