Lady Panthers Beat Loving, Lose to Tatum

By John Earp

Monday evening at Loving High School, the Jal Lady Panthers took on the Loving Lady Falcons. Surprisingly, the teams were closely matched in the first period, by the end of which the Lady Panthers were leading 15-11. The Lady Panthers really built momentum in the second period, both shutting down the Lady Falcons’ scoring game and putting 15 more points on the board in the first six minutes of the period. At halftime, the Lady Panthers had extended their dominating lead over the Lady Falcons 34-11. The game continued along the same lines on both sides, with the Lady Panthers completely dominating the Lady Falcons. The final score was 61-17.

The Lady Panthers traveled to Tatum Tuesday to play the Lady Coyotes. The Lady Coyotes dominated early on, and by the end of the first period, they built a strong 16-7 lead over the Lady Panthers. The Lady Panthers rallied back in the second period, steadily closing in on the Lady Coyotes, putting 9 points on the board while limiting Tatum to just 8. At halftime, the Lady Coyotes led 24-16.

The Lady Coyotes got back on track in the third period, and by the end of the third, they had extended their lead over the Lady Panthers 35-21. Tatum continued to maintain their lead throughout most of the final quarter, with the Lady Panthers gaining a few points in the last couple of minutes. The final score was 46-35.