Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

The Roundup Panthers traveled to Winnett to take on the Rams in a non-conference affair Tuesday night. The game got off to a relatively slow start as both teams struggled to make shots. The Rams put a run together behind consecutive three point shots to jump out to an eight point margin. Braedan scored the next 8 points for the Panthers to narrow the gap but that was as close as the Panthers would get for the rest of the game. It was a frustrating night for the Panthers as the basket seemed to have a lid on it. The Panthers missed many opportunities inside the key and from the free throw line. When they did put together run and close the gap their defense would falter either by missing an assignment or not rebounding. The Rams increased their lead in the second quarter when Kaide and Michael put together a scoring burst that cut the lead to 33-24 at the half. The first play of the second half was a microcosm of the evening as the Panthers forced a tough shot, the rebound was tipped, and the Rams ended with the loose ball. The Panthers were outscored in the second half 22-16 and lost the game 62-46.

Scoring was as follows: Braedan Bilden 11, Jace Lemmel 9, Michael McHenry 7, Kaide Griffith 7, Kylen Wolff 6, Damarion Brewer 4, and Jordan Olson 2.

Friday night the Panthers hosted the Mustangs in a 4B district contest. I was very happy with the overall play of the Panthers as there was a significant improvement on the defensive and offensive ends of the court. Our young players, Wyatt, Jordan, Kylen, Braedan, and Jace played relaxed and let the game come to them. Our defense was tremendous led by senior point guard Kaide Griffith. He set the tone early taking on Shepherd’s best guard and rebounding the ball. From the guard position he had 9 rebounds in the first half. Offensively, the Panthers finally passed the ball up the floor and got the defense of the Mustangs to shift and move creating lots of great opportunities around the rim. The Panthers took advantage of the shots early and had the lead after one quarter 15-9. The game was close throughout but the Panthers held the advantage after the first three quarters 36-32. The fourth quarter was the Panthers undoing as Michael was the only player to make a shot in the quarter. The Panther defense kept them in the game until the final buzzer but it wasn’t enough as the Mustangs won 42-39.

Scoring was as follows: Kaide Griffith 13, Jace Lemmel 12, Michael McHenry 6, Jordan Olson 4, Wyatt Goffena 2, and Kylen Wolff 2.

Saturday the Panthers traveled east to take on the Dogies for the second time in eight days. Different from the first meeting the Panthers didn’t get off to a slow start. The Panthers played a stingy man to man defense most of the night and really put the wraps on the Forsyth Dogies as they struggled to get quality shots and didn’t get any second chance opportunities. Michael and Kaide put pressure on the ball handlers and Jordan, Braedan, Wyatt, Damarion, and AJ took away passing lanes. Elijah and Kylen did a great job inside with help defense and scored 20 points between the two of them to boost the offensive output. It was the first game of the season that the Panthers scored double digits in every quarter to win the game 60-24. It was a great team win!!

Scoring was as follows: Jace Lemmel 13, Kylen Wolff 12, Michael McHenry 10, Elijah Fish 8, Jordan Olson 6, Kaide Griffith 5, Wyatt Goffena 4, and AJ Gray 2.