by Steve Bradley
The Lady Panthers’ hopes of an undefeated season ended Saturday when the Mount Anthony Patriots visited. The Ladies did crush their opponents in their other games during the week.
Mt. Anthony 58 HF 57
This was a tough one. After leading much of the game, the Ladies suffered their first loss of the season. It’s difficult to go undefeated for a season, and Mt. Anthony is a much larger school than HFCS, but none of that makes it any easier to take. Especially when you are so close to the victory and have led the game through three quarters.
Through the first three quarters, the Panthers held the lead. The Patriots were hanging right there with them, unable to grab a lead but dropping in just enough three-pointers to keep them within striking distance. After three quarters, the Panthers were up 49 – 44. Kelly Pine and Megan Flynn were grabbing rebounds and scoring points at the hoop, but the Patriots kept hitting those threes. The lead went back and forth several times in the fourth quarter.
With less than 12 seconds to play in the game, with the score at HF 57 – MA 56, Mt. Anthony’s Maddy Main hit a two-pointer that put the Patriots in the lead to stay. Main was 5 of 10 from the free throw line, but that winning two-pointer was her first points from the field. The Panthers got the ball back but were unable to score.
Megan Flynn had a monster day, scoring 21 points and hauling in 19 rebounds. Kelly Pine had 18 points and 11 rebounds with Rachel Pine adding 16 points. Usually a solid part of their game, the Panthers went 0 – 11 from beyond the three-point line, while the Patriots went 10 for 25.
HF 76 Tamarac 44
The Ladies wasted no time getting back on track. The Panthers traveled to Brunswick to take on the Tamarac Bengals Tuesday evening. With the Panthers coming off a tough loss, it was the Bengals’ misfortune to be up next, and they took it on the chin.
After an evenly played first quarter where the Panthers held a two point advantage at the end, the Panthers erupted for 22 points in the second to take control of the game. With the Panthers scoring 22 in the second and 24 in the third quarter to the Bengals 22 total for the two quarters, it became a runaway.
Rachel Pine scored 27 points, going 4 of 6 on three-pointers, along with eight assists and eight steals. Megan Flynn had 21 points and 16 rebounds, while Kelly Pine added 11 points. Anna Wysocki and Taylor Hayes each chipped in six points.
HF 65 Granville 22
Last Friday, the day before the Mt. Anthony game, the host Panthers jumped out to an 18 – 8 first quarter lead and continued to pour it on from there, scoring in double figures in every quarter. The defense held the Horde to single figures in every quarter. At the half, the Panthers held a 37 – 13 advantage. By the end of the game, every player on the team had scored.
Liz Ryan scored 14 points; Rachel Pine had 12. Kelly Pine and Megan Flynn each dropped in 10. Kelly Pine brought down eight rebounds, and Ryan snagged seven. Rachel Pine had seven steals.
Sparkling Record
The Ladies are now 10 – 1 overall, and 7 – 0 in league play.
On Friday, January 23, the Lady Panthers will be home against Mechanicville. The following Friday, January 30, the team will go to Schaghticoke to play the Hoosic Valley Indians. Both games have a varsity start of 7:30.