Lady Panthers lose close game

By John Earp

This past Tuesday night in Panther Gym, the Lady Panthers (8-11 overall; 0-3 in district) played the Eunice Lady Cardinals (11-10 overall; 3-1 in district).

The game got off to a slow start, with neither team doing especially well at scoring points in the first period. With 2:32 remaining in the first, Eunice had pulled ahead slightly, 7-5. The Lady Panthers showed excellent rebounding skills, against a Eunice team which was heavily favored by the odds to win. The Lady Cardinals sank two three-pointers late in the first period, at the end of which they led 13-7.

The Lady Panthers came back in the second period showing good defense and offense, and with 5:14 remaining, had pulled to within 2, with Eunice leading 13-11. After a couple more minutes, Jal had reduced Eunice’s lead to one point, 15-14. The Lady Panthers then pulled ahead 16-15. The Lady Cardinals then fought back hard, and with 2:00 remaining in the second period, had extended their lead 19-16. At halftime, Eunice led 21-17.

The Lady Cardinals sank several three-pointers in the early part of the third period, while the Lady Panthers had difficulty making any baskets of their own. The Lady Panthers battled back then and pulled to within 4 points of the Lady Cardinals. At the end of the third period, Eunice led 32-28. At the start of the fourth period, the game took a strongly defensive turn, with neither team scoring much. Natalia Fernandez stole the ball from a Eunice player, then drove it in for a layup, giving Jal a two-point lead with four minutes remaining in the game. With just under two minutes remaining in the game, Eunice pulled back ahead by one point. The final score was 39-36, in what turned out to be a very exciting and evenly matched game.

Coach Buddy Little said it was a good game afterwards, adding, “We need to learn how to shoot.”