Junior High Panthers Clip the Cardinals’ Wings

By John Earp

Tuesday night in the Panther Gym, the Jal Junior High Boys B Team took on the Eunice Cardinals. The Panthers did about as poorly as they could in the first half. At halftime, the Cardinals led 8-1. In the third quarter, the Panthers finally woke up and closed the gap momentarily to just one point. The Cardinals then rallied, and by the end of the third quarter, Eunice led 16-9. The Panthers fought hard in the fourth period, and with just over four minutes remaining in the game, they had reduced the Cardinal lead to just 17-15. With 2:30 remaining in the fourth period, Jal took the lead for the first time in the game, 19-18. The Cardinals soon tied the game at 19 with a free throw. After a riveting final minute, where both teams fought hard, the Panthers were able to hold onto the ball and keep the Cardinals from taking a shot until right at the buzzer. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the shot was no good. Final score was 20-19 with a win for the Panthers. The A Team dealt a powerful blow to the Cardinals in the final game of the night, clipping the Cardinals’ wings 43-13. It was a great night for Panther Basketball, with both the girls and boys teams playing well.