ABILENE — Dropping its third straight game, the Concordia High School boys’ basketball team was dealt its third NCKL loss and was swept in the season series with a 59-43 loss to the Cowboys.
The Panther offense would struggle early on, relying on the defense to keep the game close, forcing Cowboy turnovers to keep the Abilene score down. The Panthers would tie the game halfway through the first quarter with an Isaias Irigoyen putback. The two teams would struggle to put points up on the board, but a layup at the buzzer gave the Cowboys an 11-10 lead after one quarter.
The Cowboys would start to pull away in the second quarter, getting the lead up to double digits. The Cowboys outscored the Panthers 19-12 for the quarter and entered halftime with a 30-22 lead.
In the second half the Panthers would start to get back into the game, scoring five straight points to open the quarter. The Cowboys would respond with five straight points of their own. It would be a shootout the rest of the quarter, with fortune favoring the Cowboys as they entered the fourth quarter with a 47-35 lead.
Time would not be on the Panthers’ side in the fourth quarter. The offense struggled to get points as the Cowboys’ physical defense kept the Panthers at bay.
Ayden Krier had nine points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Luke Donovan had eight points, three rebounds, and an assist.
Peyton Retter had seven points, five rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
The Panthers will conclude the regular season, Friday, February 28 against Rock Creek in a rescheduled match.
In a late season, non-conference 4A vs 3A matchup, the Concordia Panthers hosted Nemaha Central, ranked number eight in 3A, with the Thunder picking up the 56-47 win.
The game would start slowly, with only three points scored in the first two minutes, all by the Thunder. With an Ayden Krier three ball at 5:40, the Panthers finally scored. Scoring would continue to be limited, but with an Irigoyan floater, the game was tied 5-5. After some exchanged free throws, one by Peyton Retter, with seven seconds remaining, gave the Panthers a 9-8 lead after one quarter.
The Panthers opened up the second quarter with five straight points and would hold the Thunder off the scoreboard until 5:35. The Thunder would retake the lead, 17-15, with 3:32 remaining, with a pair of free throws, and the Panthers would be unable to regain the lead. Retter would immediately pick up a technical foul after a five-second out-of-bounds call, and the Thunder would push their lead to seven. A 5-0 run by the Panthers would knock the lead down to two, but a three-ball by the Thunder would send the teams into the locker room with Nemaha Central leading 25-20.
Neither team could find offensive success to start the third quarter, with only five points being scored in the first four minutes, all by Nemaha Central. A Chane Parker free throw with 3:38 remaining finally got the Panthers some points, but the Thunder were able to build their lead to eight. With 1:03 remaining, the Panthers finally made a field goal with a Luke Donovan layup, followed by a Retter layup, as the Panthers entered the fourth quarter trailing 34-27.
Although the Panthers tried to claw their way back into the game, the Thunder gameplay worked too well. Strong interior defense with timely shooting kept the Panthers at bay despite the Thunder giving up 20 fourth-quarter points.
Retter had 16 points, four assists, and two steals.
Krier had 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
Luke Donovan had eight points, five rebounds, and two assists.
