Panthers move to 12-3 on the season

The Americus-Sumter Panthers returned the court ready for the new year, pulling in a massive 72-45 victory over the Marion County Eagles on Jan. 2. The team hit the court again the next day to face the Bainbridge Bearcats, falling 66-73 in the contest. This brings the Panthers’ overall record to 12-3 for the season and region record 5-3. The Bearcats are undefeated in the region after six games so far this season.

The Panthers and Eagles remained close in the first half of their match, with Marion scoring 10 points in the first quarter to Americus’ nine. Both teams posted 14 points in the second quarter to enter the half-time break with the Panthers trailing 23-24.

The Americus offense lit up the court in the second half of the game, putting 24 more points on the board in the third frame and 25 in the fourth. The Eagles had trouble keeping up and the Panthers steadily widened the gap through the second half, holding the Eagles to 10 points in the third stanza and 11 in the final quarter of the non-region match.

The Panthers suited up again on Jan. 3 to face Bainbridge in Americus.

The Bearcats took an early lead, outscoring the Panthers 16-14 in the first quarter. They then expanded their advantage in the second, posting 13 points and holding Americus to 11.

The Panthers showed the beginnings of a comeback in the third frame, outscoring the Bearcats 19-18, but their progress was stalled in the fourth. Both teams went on a scoring spree in the final frame, with the Panthers posting 22 points while the Bearcats scored 26, leaving the Panthers seven points behind at the final buzzer.

The Panthers return to the court on Jan. 10, traveling to Montezuma to face the Macon County Bulldogs.