Christmas Break is a great time for our players to spend time with their families and recharge their batteries. For the Panthers it also meant the beginning of a difficult part of their schedule. First up was the Huntley Project Red Devils. Huntley boasts a lineup with 3 players 6'5" or bigger. The Panthers spent Christmas break game planning for Huntley's size and pressure. The Red Devils attack teams with a number of presses. The Panthers were prepared for the pressure but had to get over their nerves early in the game. Huntley scored on their first possession and jumped into their full court press. The Panthers had a couple of early turnovers but then they began to settle in. Ryder, Brigem, and Kaide handled the bulk of the pressure until Tanner subbed in. The Panthers missed some opportunities early to score but slowly they began to find their offensive rhythm. Brigem and Kaide hit a couple of threes to jump start the offense and Tanner hit a 2 pointer that energized the crowd late in the quarter. As the first half wore on the Panther defense began to suffocate the Red Devil offense. The Red Devils worked to take advantage of their size and the Panther sagging/help defense thwarted many of their attempts. Dylan, Tanner, AJ, Kaide, Colton, and Jace really did a great job of helping. Makale really began to warm up in the second quarter hitting a couple of deep threes and when Tanner stepped back a bit farther and knocked one down the roof went off of the gym. The Panthers led 30-28 at the half. In the second half the Red Devils abandoned their pressure and went to half court man to man. Their length created many problems for the Panther offense but the Panthers never quit. The game extended to an 8 point lead for the Red Devils when Michael made a driving layup and then Ryder hit a three to close the gap. The fourth quarter was frustrating for the Panthers as they worked to get great shots they just didn't go down consistently. The Panther mental and physical effort was great all night but it wasn't enough as the Red Devils prevailed, 59-49.

Scoring was as follows: Michael McHenry 2, AJ Gray 2, Ryder Klein 3, Jace Lemmel 4, Brigem Dahl 6, Kaide Griffith 6, Tanner Rae 9, and Makale Kembel 17.

In sports there are days when no matter what you do it doesn't seem to be the right thing, not soon enough, or just a bit to late. The Panthers had one of those games on Friday at Red Lodge. The Rams started quick hitting their first 4 shots and the Panthers never recovered. The Panthers did a great job of getting shots, getting into the lane, and nothing would drop. It was just one of those nights where no matter what the Panthers did it didn't work out. The Panthers kept battling but it seemed like the hill never got any smaller. The Rams beat the Panthers 59-35.

Samantha Elliott

Sophomore #10 Walker Doman goes up for a jumper

Scoring was as follows: Brigem Dahl 1, Makale Kembel 2, Jace Lemmel 2, Ryder Klein 2, Colton Kinn 2, Michael McHenry 3, AJ Gray 3, Kaide Griffith 4, Tanner Rae 5, and Dylan Sanner 9.

More photos on page 5.