Panthers play in Christmas Tourney

The Lewis County Panthers faced off in the opening round of the 2021 West Nashville Sports League Christmas Tournament on Legacy Courts at the Franklin Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 18th against the Page Patriots.

In the first half of action, it was Lewis County that jumped out in front of the Patriots behind 8 points from Dakota Hull and stellar play from the defense to take a 32-19 lead in at the half. The second half was more dominance from the Panthers as Jalen Smith led the charge for Lewis County, scoring 14 points in the second half and the Panthers cruised to an opening-round win over the Page Patriots 61-37. Jalen Smith led the Panthers in the win with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists, Drew Ray 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block, Dakota Hull had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 4 assists, Evan Mathis 9 points and 7 rebounds, Kobe Feichtinger 5 points, 1 rebound, 4 steals, and 2 assists, Bo Banks 5 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists, Phoenix McDonald 4 points, 2 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 assists, and Carter Stewart 1 rebound.

In the second round of the 2021 WNSL Christmas Tournament the Lewis County Panthers faAs in the opening round, the Panthers jumped out in front early in the first quarter of action. Bo Banks had 10 points in the first half of action as Lewis County pulled out in front to a 37-15 lead over Bellevue at the half. The pace slowed in the second half as the Owl defense tightened, but the Panthers were able to defend the big lead they built in the first half as Dakota Hull and Drew Ray each dropped f5 points in the half and the Panthers carried the lead to a 56-27 win over the Owls. Bo Banks led the way for the Panthers with 12 points, 2 rebounds, 5 steals, and 2 assists, Dakota Hull added 11 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 2 assists, Jalen Smith 8 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, an assist, and a block, Kobe Feichtinger 8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 assists, Evan Mathis 6 points and 9 rebounds, Drew Ray 5 points, 2 rebounds, 6 steals, and 4 assists, Phoenix McDonald 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 assists, and a block, and Carter Stewart 2 points.

The Lewis County Panthers would once again face the Bellevue Owls in the third round, the semifinal round, of the 2021 WNSL Christmas Tournament on Sunday, December 19th on the Legacy Courts at Franklin Fieldhouse.

Unlike their first matchup, the Owls kept the game close early, but Lewis County began to pull away late in the opening half to take a 24-13 halftime lead. Jalen Smith put up 7 points in the first half to help give the Panthers a 9-point lead. The Owls mounted a comeback in the second half as they limited the Panthers to 16 second-half points, but the Owls would come up short as the Panthers held on to take the 40-33 win to advance to the Championship game. Jalen Smith had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks in the win, Kobe Feichtinger added 8 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal, Bo Banks 7 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, and 1 assist, Drew Ray 6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 assists, Maddox Tanner 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 assist, Dakota Hull 2 points, 6 rebounds, and a steal, Phoenix McDonald 2 points, 1 rebound, and 2 steals, and Evan Mathis 4 rebounds and a block.

The Panthers took the floor in the Championship game of the 2021 WNSL Christmas Tournament against the Franklin Spartans on Sunday, December 19th.

The Spartans were able to limit the opportunities for the Panthers early in the first half of the Championship game despite 6 points in the half by Maddox Tanner. Franklin took a 20-15 lead in at the half over Lewis County. The Panthers regrouped during the break, especially on the defensive side. Lewis County’s defense smothered the Spartans in the second half as they began to chip into the lead. Lewis County would limit the Spartans to 12 points in the second half while pulling out the 36-32 win. Dakota Hull had 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals in the Championship game win, Drew Ray 11 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, Maddox Tanner 6 points and 1 steal, Jalen Smith 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 assist, Bo Banks 2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block, Phoenix McDonald 1 rebound and 2 steals, and Evan Mathis 1 rebound and 1 steal.

The Panthers went undefeated in the tournament, 4-0 on their way to winning the championship.