LCMS Panthers win over Hickman, lose to Wayne Co.

The Lewis County Middle School Lady Panthers and Panthers resumed play after the Christmas break when they hosted the Hickman County Middle School Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs for varsity and junior varsity action on Monday, January 4, 2021.

The first game of the afternoon was between the junior varsity girls' teams. The Lady Bulldog junior varsity pulled out in front early, limiting the Lady Panther JV to a lone Jazzy Conner free throw in the first half as Lewis County trailed 13-1 at the half. The second half of JV action was better for the Lady Panthers as they were able to match the Lady Bulldogs point-for-point, falling in the junior varsity game 22-9.

Jazzy Conner had 5 points for the Lady Panther JV, Addison Osborne 3, and B.B. Smith 2.

The boys' junior varsity game was the next to tip off, and the junior varsity Panthers wasted little time building a large lead in the first half. By the halftime horn, the Panther JV had opened up a 34-7 lead. After the intermission, the Panther JV continued its assault of the visitors on their way to a 51-14 junior varsity win.

Bo Banks led the Lewis County junior varsity with 13, Maddox Tanner added 12, Phenix McDonald 10, Dakota Hull 6, Carter Stewart 5, Jalen Smith 4, and Kade Carroll 3.

The Lady Panthers hung close with the Lady Bulldogs early in the contest, but missed free throws allowed the Lady Bulldogs to jump out to a 13-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. Foul trouble plagued the Lady Panthers for the remainder of the half as the Lady Bulldogs went in at the break leading 22-9.

The Lady Bulldogs increased the pressure in the third quarter and the Lady Panthers lost more ground, limited to only a single Gabii Ortiz basket, and Hickman County stretched the lead to 38-11. Addison Carroll would account for the lone Lady Panther point in the fourth quarter and the Lady Panthers fell to Hickman County 44-12, bringing the Lady Panther record to .500 at 7-7 on the season.

Gabii Ortiz had 7 on the evening for the Lady Panthers, Klayr Shepherd and Jayden Moore each had 2, and Addison Carroll had 1.

Emily Copley had 12 for Hickman County, Karlee Spears 10, Emily Anderson 8, Kloie Warren, Tyler Jo Jenkins, and Hannah Brewer 4 each, and Hailey Gordon had 2.

In the final game of the evening, the Panthers took on the Bulldogs in a rematch of an early-season win for Lewis County. The teams matched baskets in an even first quarter, playing to a 10-10 tie moving into the second quarter of action. Cade Lomax (6) and Steele Moseley (5) combined for 11 of the Panthers 16 second quarter points, helping pull out to a 26-12 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs fought back in the third, cutting into the Panther lead and trailing 34-23 as the game moved into the final quarter of play. It was Lewis County that was able to take control in the fourth quarter, holding the visiting Bulldogs to only 2 points in the final six minutes, and cruising to a 48-25 win. The win improved the Panther record to 13-2 on the season.

Steele Moseley had 17 for the Panthers, Cade Moseley 16, Drew Ray 5, Jaxon Fite and Sam Moore 3, and Dakota Hull and Julian Jones 2.

Elisha Puckett had 14 for the Bulldogs, Charlie Blysted 5, Dillon Oguin 4, and Jax Yablonski 2.

LCMS vs Wayne County

The Lewis County Middle School Lady Panthers and Panthers hosted the Wayne County Lady Wildcats and Wildcats on Tuesday, January 5 for a boys junior varsity game and girls and boys varsity matchups.

In the boys’ junior varsity game, it was the Panther JV that got out of the gate fast behind 7 Maddox Tanner points and 6 Phenix McDonald points to build a 21-10 halftime lead. The Panther junior varsity continued to pressure the Wildcats in the second half, as Bo Banks scored 7 in the half and the Panther JV pulled away to a 44-23 junior varsity win.

The Lady Panthers and Lady Wildcats took the floor at 6 p.m. and the teams played a close first quarter that saw the Lady Wildcats take a 10-6 lead into the second quarter. Foul trouble hindered the Lady Panthers for the second night in a row as the Lady Wildcats pressured the Lady Panthers and picked up the pace of the game, exploding to a 37-12 halftime lead.

The Lady Panthers were held scoreless in the third quarter, and saw the Lady Wildcats outscore them 16-4 over the final 12 minutes of play, taking the win 53-16.

Aryn Shepherd and Jayden Moore each had 4 for the Lady Panthers, Claire Whitehead 3, Haylee Carroll and Addison Carroll each had 2.

Blair Baugus had 30 points for the Lady Wildcats, Raegan Crews 8, Emma Bryant 7, Rosalee Martin, Addi Odle, Lou Prater, and Maggie Lee 2 each.

The loss dropped the Lady Panthers to 7-8 on the season.

The Panthers pulled out to an early 11-6 lead with points from 4 different players in the opening quarter. The second quarter saw the Panthers struggle to score, with Cade Lomax accounting for 4 of the team’s 5 points, and the Wildcats cut the Panther lead to 16-14 at halftime.

Wayne County limited the Panthers to 3 points in the third quarter while taking the lead and opening up to a 27-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Panthers picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, but every Panther run was answered by the Wildcats as Wayne County secured a 40-33 win.

Cade Lomax had 16 in the loss, Steele Moseley 7, Dakota Hull and Drew Ray 4 each, and Jaxon Fite 2.

Justice Bell led the Wildcats with 17, Sayler Skelton 13, Baker Bryant 6, and Cayman Camfield 4.

The loss dropped the Panthers to 13-3 on the season.