Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

The Roundup Panthers traveled to Shepherd Friday evening to challenge the Mustangs on their home court. The Panthers ran a full court man pressure at the Mustangs hoping to get them rattled and tired. The Mustangs didn’t get rattled but it did wear them down as they weren’t as efficient on the offensive end in the second half. Braeden got the Panthers started in the first quarter scoring all 9 of his points in the first quarter. Fellow sophomores Jace and Kylen chipped in and the Panthers led 14-13. The Mustangs exploded in the second quarter led by junior Colt Hondo’s four three point makes in the quarter. The Panthers responded Kaide and AJ made a couple of shots to stem the tide but the Panthers trailed 31-24 at the half. The Panthers trailed because their defense was not what it needed to be. The Panthers spent a lot of time gambling, not communicating, and watching the Mustangs score. After a heated conversation at halftime the defensive effort of the Panthers picked up and produced some easy buckets that put the Panthers ahead in the contest. After not taking a shot in the first quarter Kaide warmed up from the outside. He hit a two three-point shots in the second quarter, followed that up with two more in the third and nice driving layup before sitting with foul trouble. Jace and Kylen added 10 points between them in the paint as the Panthers held a 42-38 lead after three quarters. Michael and AJ had a couple of steals early in the fourth to keep the Mustangs at bay and built a lead. Mid fourth quarter Kaide reentered the game and made an immediate impact as he got a steal for an easy bucket and two minutes later Michael found him wide open for a wide open three that he buried from the top of the key. Kaide, Michael, and AJ missed free throws late that would have iced the game but the Panthers made enough defensive plays to win, 52-51.

Scoring was as follows: Kaide Griffith 19, Jace Lemmel 12, Braeden Bilden 9, AJ Gray 6, Kylen Wolff 5, and Michael McHenry 2.

Saturday afternoon the Panthers hosted the Rams for their last game of the regular season. The Rams pose a big problem inside for the Panthers with their post play. The game plan was to try and bother the guards enough so that the entries to the post would be difficult and our guards could come help. Our pressure worked for the most part as our guards did a great job of hounding the ball and making life miserable for the Rams. Michael, AJ, Wyatt, Jordan, Braedan, Kaide, and Damarion really worked hard throughout the game to make the Rams work for their opportunities. Offensively, Kylen and Jace got us some easy scores inside. The Panthers shot themselves in the foot missing all six free throws in the quarter and missed a couple of bunnies in the paint. The Rams lead 13-8 after the first quarter. Unfortunately, the first quarter was how the game went as the Panthers squandered opportunities on the offensive end time and again. The defense kept the Panthers in the game but the Ram offense made a few more shots than the Panthers and slowly began to widen the margin. In the third quarter the Rams outscored the Panthers 19-10 and had a 43-27 advantage going into the fourth quarter. The Panthers never quit but couldn’t overcome the deficit and lost 55-40.

Scoring was as follows: Kaide Griffith 9, Michael McHenry 9, Jace Lemmel 8, AJ Gray 7, Kylen Wolff 5, and Elijah Fish 2.