Vs Indian Valley (2/28)
Friday night’s game was played at the Steele Center on the Muskingum University Campus in New Concord. From the tipoff, both teams were neck-and-neck, with the Panthers taking a one-shot advantage into the second quarter, leading by 13 – 11. The Braves stepped up in the second quarter, flipping the lead to 29 – 21 in their favor, leaving the Panthers with a deficit to consider at halftime.
As the game continued, the Panthers’ defense really shined in the second half as they held the Braves to just two points in the third quarter, taking back the lead with a score of 39 – 31. The last few minutes of the game were more of a battle as the Braves ramped their offense back up, trying to regain the lead but ultimately falling short and losing the game and the District Title to the Maysville Panthers.
Vs East Liverpool (2/25)
The Panthers got on the bus headed for St. Clairsville on Tuesday to take on the Potters from East Liverpool for the District Semi-final game. It was an unusual start for Maysville as they found themselves fighting to keep up in the first minutes of the game, falling behind by a score of 8 – 9 as the second period neared. The second quarter of the game was the turning point for the Panthers as they tied up the game at 17 points and then pushed forward to send the Potters to the halftime break down 25 – 23.
The intermission gave Maysville the time they needed to navigate the Potters’ defenses and make a plan for the rest of the game. When they hit the court to start the second half of the game, the Panthers took over, taking their lead to the next level and playing with an extreme fevered pace to push out a 50 – 36 lead over East Liverpool before the start of the final period. Try as they might, the Potters couldn’t recover, and the last few minutes of the game zipped by with the Panthers locking in their place in the District final with a score of 73 – 57 over East Liverpool.
Gator Nichols stood out for the Panthers with a 28-point game, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Jordyn Watson had 18 points, four rebounds, nine assists, and two steals. Kane Roehrig had 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Vs Claymont (2/21)
Maysville hosted the Mustangs on Friday night for a big Sectional playoff. The Panthers didn’t hesitate to take control of the ball against the 12-seeded Claymont team, pushing out a huge blast forward and taking a 20-point lead in the first quarter with a score of 27 – 7 as they headed toward quarter 2. The train kept rolling as the first half of the game drew ever closer to the end, and the Mustangs didn’t stand a chance of recovery as the Panthers sent them to the locker room down 51 – 18 with a running clock.
When the ball dropped in the second half, Claymont tried to recalculate and bounce back out of the hole they were in, but they were unsuccessful as the Panthers continued their mission, keeping the Mustangs at a distance as the clock ticked away frantically putting up a massive 67 – 30 before the final quarter started. The final minutes of the game were filled with cheers for the home team as the Panthers knew they were moving on in the playoffs as they finished off the Mustangs with a final score of 74 – 35.
Junior Jordyn Watson stepped up to take the top score of the night with 28 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Gator Nichols had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Kane Roehrig had 11 points for the Panthers, with two rebounds and three assists.
