Panthers, Lady Panthers set for regional tourney
Magnet Cove head basketball coach Matt Williamson and staff will take command in leading the Panthers and Lady Panthers hoop teams into more exciting season madness on the court for 2020-2021.
The Panthers and Lady Panthers both prevailed in their match-ups this week in the 2A-7 District Tournament to qualify to compete in the 2A Regionals Tourney next week in Caddo Hills.
This is the first season Williamson has been commander-in-chief for both the senior high boys and girls basketball programs at Magnet Cove and their success so far to qualify for regionals fulfills a goal set before the start of the season.
On the road Tuesday, the Lady Panthers rallied back to defeat Dierks 38-36— while at home Wednesday, the Panthers took care of business to secure victory hosting Mountain Pine 59-43 at Magnet Cove Gymnasium. The Panthers and Lady Panthers will continue district tourney hoops this week for seeding purposes entering the regional tournament.
2A-7 DISTRICT TOURNAMENT Lady Panthers 38, Dierks 36
The Lady Panthers had a 21-14 deficit at halftime, but controlled the second half to outscore Dierks 24-15 for a huge comeback win 38-36 on the road in Outlaw Country. For the game, Lady Panthers’ Zoee Rednour led scoring with 10 points for double-figures. Rednour also nailed a triple from beyond the arc. Karsen Davis finished with nine points and swished two triples from beyond the arc. Brianna Ramthun dropped eight points and Jamie Kelley added five points. Emily Cook and Maddison Lawrence each chipped in two points apiece.
Panthers 59, Mountain Pine 43
In an atmosphere that was highly intense Wednesday night at Magnet Cove Gymnasium, the Panthers were able to put away their visiting competitors Mountain Pine Red Devils for a 16-point double-digit victory. The first quarter was close with the Red Devils taking the early lead 2-0 down to the 7:36 mark. From that point, the Panthers tied it at 2-2 with Evin Ashcraft sinking two free-throws, then Levi Horton split a pair of foul shots to put the Panthers in control by a point, 3-2. Throughout the remaining five minutes left in the first, the Red Devils knotted the contest at 3-3, but the Panthers sparked a productive run to take over command and never trailed again. Big man Kadin Baker completed a three-point play the old fashion way, while Owen Tillery, Horton and Nathan Wetherington each scored buckets from the field to extend the Panthers’ lead 15-8. In the final seconds to conclude first quarter play, Ashcraft flushed down a one-handed baseline dunk in transition to give Magnet Cove a 17-8 lead over the Red Devils. In the second quarter, the Red Devils climbed their way back and outscored the Panthers 19-15. But a huge buzzer-beating trifecta from beyond the arc shot by Rowdy Lathrop gave the Panthers more momentum going into the locker room at halftime —for a five-point lead over the Red Devils, 32-27.
In the second half, the Panthers extended their margin and had their biggest lead of the contest at 47-30 at the end of third quarter play. With a 17-point advantage, the Red Devils could see their chances slipping away but kept fighting back to cut their deficit and come within 13 points of the Panthers’ lead—56-43 (2:32 mark).
But, that would be as close as the Red Devils were able to come within, while the Panthers surged their way from executing productive ball movement to control the clock. Jace Beckwith sank the final bucket of the contest at the 1:42 mark that provided the 16-point win (59-43) for the Panthers, which ended the season of hoops for the Red Devils. For the game, Panthers’ Horton led scoring with 13 points and Ashcraft posted 12 points for double-figures. The trio of Wetherington, Baker and Beckwith each had seven points apiece and Tillery finished with six points. Jacob Clausen contributed four points, and Lathrop swished a triple from downtown for three points.
For Mountain Pine, Reydyn Dexter led all scorers with 15 points and busted three triples from beyond the arc, while Brady Jones finished with 12 points for double-digits.