The Junior High Boys Basketball teams traveled to Borden on Thursday for a matchup with the Braves.
The 7th grade battled in a very competitive contest with the Braves, but unfortunately came up short in closing minutes of the game by a final score 40-46. Will Bulleit led the way for the panthers with 20 points and 3 rebounds while Braxton Upton chipped in 7 points and 4 rebounds in the defeat.
The 8th grade boys were ready to go as they jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Intensity on the defensive end led to many turnovers for the Braves and transition points for the Panthers. Braylen Boyette led the panthers in scoring with 20 points as teammates Jojo McCarty added 16 points and Hunter Seacat added 11 points in the Panthers 59-37 win over the Braves.
The 7th and 8th grade boys Basketball teams traveled to North Harrison on Saturday for the 2023 Harrison County Tournament.
The 7th grade opened up tournament play with a hard fought win over a scrappy South Central team by a score of 27-23. Will Bulleit led the way for the panthers with 12 points and teammate Braxton Upton added 7 points as the Panthers advanced to the Championship game to take on the Lanesville Eagles. The Championship game was a back and forth matchup with the Panthers in control heading into the final quarter. Lanesville was able to shift the momentum and secure the lead early in the final quarter and never looked back as the Panthers fell in defeat 45-36. Panthers were led in scoring by Hayden Smothers with 18 points while Will Bulleit and Cash Coffman each had 7 points.
The 7th grade boys close the season with a 9-12 record which represents a lot of hard work and improvement from the beginning of the season.
The 8th grade Panthers would also open tournament play against the Rebels of South Central. The Panthers were able to secure a real-time lead early in the matchup and defeat the Rebels by a final score of 50-21. Panthers were able to get 12 players in the scoring column during the victory with Hunter Seacat leading the charge with 11 points as the Panthers advanced to the Championship game to face off with county rival North Harrison.
After a slow start in the first half for the Panthers, they were able to make some adjustments and turn up the intensity on defense in the second half to capture the 2023 Harrison County Championship by a final score 43-31, making it a 4 peat for this very talented group. Panthers were led in scoring by Grant Lindemann with 13 points and Hunter Seacat with 10 points in the victory.
The 8th grade panthers close an outstanding 2022-2023 season with a final record of 23-5 and the title of Cluckers Classic Champions and 2023 Harrison County Champions while also finishing 2nd in the Mid-Southern.
It has been a great season for the Junior High Boys Basketball program and we would like to thank everyone for their support. The future is bright for Panther Basketball and we look forward to another great season in 2023-2024.
Go Panthers!