LCMS Teams Open With Wins

The Lewis County Middle School Lady Panthers and Panthers opened with wins on Thursday, October 15, 2020 in the first day of the Hampshire Tip-Off Classic, facing the host Lady Hawks and Hawks of Hampshire.

In the girls matchup, the Lady Panthers took a lead off the tip and outscored the Lady Hawks in the first quarter 9-4 with Jayden Moore scoring 5 in the period.

Lewis County and Hampshire matched baskets in the second quarter with the Lady Panthers taking a 19-13 lead in at the half with Klayr Shepherd scoring 4 second quarter points.

The Lady Panthers began separating from the host team in the third, as Moore dropped 6 of the teams 8 points and the Lady Panther lead grew to 27-16 moving into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Hawks 12-6 in the final period, with Gabii Ortiz contributing 4, and Lewis County opened the 2020-21 season with a 39-22 win.

Jayden Moore had 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist in the win. Gabii Ortiz had 12 points and 10 steals, Aryn Shepherd 4 points and 4 rebounds, Klayr Shepherd 4 points and a steal, Stailee Moseley 2 points, Jazzy Conner 2 points, and Claire Whitehead 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Addyson Runyon was the offense for the Lady Hawks, scoring 12, Sophie Lawson had 3, Sydney Gilliam, Katelyn Potter, and Willa Akins 2 each, and Aliva March had 1.

In the boys matchup, the Panthers came out with excitement and outscored the Hawks 11-2 in a fast-paced period of basketball behind Ryan Tanner's 6 points in the period.

The Panthers kept the foot on the gas in the second, scoring 12 while limiting the Hawks to 4, with Cade Lomax scoring 10 of the 12, and stretching the lead to 23-15 at halftime.

Both teams struggled in the third quarter, as the Hawks were able to cut into the Panther lead before the end of the period, and Lewis County held a 28-14 lead.

In the fourth, Lewis County was able to open their lead and cruise to a 43-18 win.

Cade Lomax dropped 24 points with 9 rebounds and 3 steals, Ryan Tanner 7 points and 5 rebounds, Steele Moseley 2 points with 3 steals and 2 assists, Dakota Hull 2 points 3 rebounds and 3 assists, Jaxon Fite 2 points and 2 rebounds, Sam Moore 2 points 3 rebounds and 3 steals, Phenix McDonald 2 points, and Corbyn Harris 2 points.

Dierks Brown led the Hawks with 10, Kasen Anderson 6, and Dalen Sims 2 points.

The Lady Panthers and Panthers played again in day two of the Hampshire Tip-Off Classic, facing the Santa Fe Lady Wildcats and Wildcats on Friday, October 16. Both teams defeated the host Hampshire Lady Hawks and Hawks on the first night of the classic.

The Lady Panthers faced a Santa Fe team that lost to Lobelville the night before. The Lady Panthers struggled to find offense as they were limited to baskets by Aryn Shepherd and Jayden Moore as Santa Fe led 10-4 after the first six minutes of play.

The Lady Wildcats built a lead as the Lady Panthers struggled through the first half of the second quarter, falling behind by double-digits before closing it to 7 at the half.

The Lady Panthers picked up the defensive intensity after the half, as they limited the Lady Wildcats to 4 as they cut the Santa Fe lead to 1 at 20-19, fueled by 8 points from Moore in the quarter.

The fourth quarter saw both teams exchange the lead multiple times and with the game tied with under a minute left, Jayden Moore broke the 29-29 tie with a late-game free-throw. The Lady Panther defense fended off multiple possessions to secure the one-point victory 30-29.

Jayden Moore led the Lady Panthers with 16 points 10 rebounds, and 4 steals. Aryn Shepherd added 6 points and 3 assists, Gabii Ortiz and Klayr Shepherd 3 points each, and Claire Whitehead 2 points. Chaslyn Stewart and Addie Slaughter each had 8 for Santa Fe, Nora Kate Butt 7, Kinslee Wilhelm 4, and Sage Arnold 2. With the win the Lady Panthers improved to 2-0 to open the season.

The Panthers were matched up with a Santa Fe team that put up over 60 the night before against Lobelville. The hot shooting Wildcats came out of the opening tip aggressively, pushing the tempo and taking a first quarter lead 13-7, as Cade Lomax (7) and Jaxon Fite (2) accounted for the first quarter scoring for the Panthers.

The Wildcats continued to increase their lead before the half, scoring 21 second quarter points to build a 34-15 halftime lead.

The Panther offense continued to have difficulty finding the basket as the Wildcats limited Lewis County to only 5 points in the period and held a 45-20 lead going into the final period.

Steele Moseley had 7 fourth quarter points as the Panthers outscored the Wildcats 14-8 in the final 6 minutes but came up well short in a 53-34 loss. Cade Lomax had 13 points and 11 rebounds, Steele Moseley 9 points and 2 steals, Jaxon Fite 5 points and 6 rebounds, Jalen Smith 4 points, Dakota Hull and Bo Banks 2 points, and Ryan Tanner 1 point. Auden Slaughter had 33 for Santa Fe, Macon Adkison 10, Andrew Graves 6, and Kaleb Hazlett 4.

The loss evened the Panthers record at 1-1 to open the season.

The Lady Panthers and Panthers travel to Hickman County to take on the Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs in varsity and junior varsity matchups on Friday, October 23.