Lady Panthers struggle to keep up with Kermit Lady Jackets

By John Earp

Tuesday night in the Panther Gym, the Lady Panthers Basketball Team faced off against the Kermit Lady Jackets in their season opener. The game got off to a very slow start, with neither team standing out in the first quarter. At the start of the second quarter, the score was tied at 7. The Lady Jackets were much more on point in the first part of the second quarter, putting 10 points on the board to Jal’s 2 points made in the first three minutes. The Lady Panthers had trouble with effective passing and with making baskets, missing what should have been relatively easy shots. It could have been nervousness on their part, but they just didn’t seem to be able to execute effectively in the second quarter. With 3:18 remaining in the second quarter, Kermit led 21-11. The Lady Panthers started to rally though, and by the end of the second quarter, they had narrowed the Lady Jackets’ lead to 7. At halftime, Kermit led 23-16.

In the third quarter, the Lady Jackets continued at their previous pace, while the Lady Panthers’ second-quarter momentum steadily faded. With 2:16 remaining in the third quarter, Kermit led 37-24. The Lady Panthers were able to rally a bit in the last two minutes of the third period, narrowing Kermit’s lead to 9 points, 37-28. The Lady Panthers battled hard in the latter portion of the game, getting to within five points of Kermit, but never were quite able to be consistent in shooting and passing in order to catch up. With 2:01 remaining in the game, Kermit led 45-35. Final score was 49-37.