Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

The Panthers hosted the Shepherd Mustangs for their first conference game of the year. It was not a great game to watch for the spectators as the offense for either team wasn’t really good but on the other hand the game was close throughout and no one should have been bored. Shepherd jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter. Their leading scorer hit 5 quick points but then Brigem and Michael began to put the clamps on him. The Panthers shifted to a 2-3 zone that seemed to take the wind out of the Mustangs sails. At one time point in the second quarter the Panthers were down 14-6 but AJ had a great driving layup and Makale backed him up with a big three that cut the deficit. Panthers got a huge emotional boost towards the end of the first quarter when Tanner entered the game for the first time this year. Tanners presence seemed to energize the Panthers. Panthers trailed 16-14 at the half. Unlike previous couple of games, the Panthers had a better third quarter especially on the defensive end holding the Mustangs to only two points. Kaide and AJ were an instrumental part of the defense as their rebounding limited the Mustangs offensively. Our blue healers, Makale and Brigem, made life miserable for their guards and frustrated the Mustang offense. The fourth quarter was tight throughout. The Panthers were struggling with the Mustang press for a while but seemed to calm down when their leader came back onto the floor. Tanner made some great decisions on the press breaker and the Panthers were able to pull out a victory, 33-30.

Scoring was as follows: Tanner Rae 2, Michael McHenry 2, Kaide Griffith 3, Makale Kembel 6, AJ Gray 6, and Dylan Sanner 14.

The Roundup Panthers would like to wish the Roundup Community a happy and safe holiday season!! Thank you for supporting the Panthers.