Saturday, February 15, 2025

Panthers place seventh in Colby Black and Orange tournament

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COLBY — Fighting for seventh place in the Colby Black and Orange tournament, the Panthers ended the tournament on a high note, defeating Ulysses 62-44.

After finding themselves down 3-2 to start the game, the Panthers roared to a 16-3 lead after the first quarter.

Ulysses gained its footing in the second quarter, even outscoring the Panthers 16-10, until Rylie Jessup hit a three at buzzer to keep the lead at double digits, keeping the Panthers in the lead, 29-19.

In the third quarter, the Panthers did their best to put the game away, with strong defense and having their hard work on the offensive glass start to pay off, with Stella Trost alone scoring five straight points. The Panthers got on a 17-0 run late in the quarter before entering the fourth with a 48-28 lead.

Ulysses did its best to go on a miracle run, but the Panther offense matched the Tigers’ attack, holding on to pick up their second win of the season as the Panthers bested the Tigers 62-44.

In the consolation bracket, the Panthers matched up with a talented Goodland team which came off a 54-31 loss to number eight-ranked Hays. The Panthers were handed a 54-16 loss in a game which saw the Panthers commit 41 turnovers.

After two Char Cash free throws to start the game, the Cowgirls went on an 8-0 run, forcing 10 straight Panther turnovers in the process. A Cash self-assist inbound play would be all the Panthers could manage in the first quarter, falling behind 11-4.

With the Cowgirls ramping up the defensive pressure even more, the Panthers only managed to score one basket, and attempt only seven shots to conclude the first half. Doing their best on defense to limit the damage, the Panthers found themselves down 19-8 at halftime.

The second half was all Goodland. Forcing more Panther turnovers, and finding their offensive groove, the Cowgirls pulled away in the third quarter, taking a 38-16 lead. The Panthers were held scoreless in the fourth quarter, only shooting 4-16 for the entire game, as Goodland took the 54-16 victory.

Matched up with the number one team in the state of Kansas for 4A to start the Colby Black and Orange tournament, the Concordia High School girls’ basketball team fell to Wellington 74-24.

Led by division one (Lindenwood) commit Val Norwood and Fort Hays State commit Brit Zeka, the Crusaders opened the game with an 8-0 run before Kinsleigh Bethune would find Jaylin Roush on a pick and roll to put Concordia on the board. Wellington would hold Concordia to only six points for the quarter, while taking a 19-point lead, ending the quarter 25-6 Crusaders.

Wellington would continue to show why it’s the best team in the state, holding Concordia to eight points in the quarter again, while expanding its lead to 31, leading 45-14 at halftime.

After another eight-point quarter, the Panthers would find themselves down 5-22 after three quarters of play.

The high energy play of the Crusaders wore down the Panthers and running out of gas, the Panthers only scored two points to finish the game while Wellington scored a game-high 26 points.

Cash had 19 points in the tournament, alongside 14 rebounds and 11 steals.

Jalyn Roush had 25 points and 19 rebounds.

The Panthers will travel to Clay Center to take on the number five-ranked Tigers in an NCKL matchup Friday, January 31.