COLUMBUS – Americus-Sumter junior forward Joshua Lusane scored 18 points and senior point guard Eric Hall scored 16 to the lead the Panthers to a 71-47 victory over Columbus on Saturday, January 27.

The Panthers have now won five straight games after losing at Westover on January 13.

The win improves the Panthers’ overall record to 20-2 and 9-2 in Region 1-AAAA play.

The Panthers had one other player in double-figures. Sophomore shooting guard Traveon Brown scored 13 points on the night, along with his four assists. In addition to scoring 16 points, Hall was also in a giving and taking mood, dishing out five assists and creating four steals for the Panthers.

In addition to leading his team in scoring, Lusane also got it done on the defensive end. He blocked two shots, grabbed six defensive rebounds and created three steals. Senior forward Derrick Wofford also contributed to the Panthers’ win by scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds.

Head Coach Michael Hoffpauir was pleased with his team’s performance, particularly on the defensive end. “Our guys played a solid game defensively, which started some easy transition points”, Hoffpauir said. Coach Hoffpauir went on to praise the work of his bench, especially the work of senior point guard Kobe Lewis. Lewis scored two points, dished out four assists and had two steals on the night.

With the loss, the Blue Devils fall to 8-15 overall and 2-10 in Region 1-AAAA play.