Panthers come up short in hard-fought game vs Wolverines

By John Earp

Last Tuesday night in the Panther Gym, the Jal Panthers Varsity Boys Basketball Team (2nd in district) took on the Texico Wolverines (1st in district) in what began at a very fast pace. Just three minutes into the first period, the Panthers had pulled into the lead for the first time, 6-5. They then increased their lead 8-5 with a very nice underhand layup by Nolbert Cervantes. Midway through the first period, the Panthers appeared to be not only holding their own, but gaining ground. After a strongly defensive battle in the second half of the first period, the Wolverines tied the game up at 10 with less than a minute left. Both teams appeared to be pushing the pace a little too quickly, with some missed passes and shots. At the end of the first period, the Panthers led 12-10.

The fast pace continued into the second period. Three minutes into the second, the Panthers had extended their lead a little, 17-13. The Wolverines battled back and held a four-point lead late in the second period. Nolbert Cervantes tied the game at 24 with about a minute left in the second period. At halftime, the Wolverines led 28-24, after some excellent passing and shooting on their part. The third period was even more energetic and exciting for both teams, as the point difference was consistently within 2 for most of the period. At the beginning of the final period, led Jal 43-41.

Adrian Rodriguez tied the game up at 47 with a beautiful three-pointer with just over six minutes remaining in the game. The fourth period continued at a very fast pace, at times a bit too fast, with some completely missed passes by Texico. With less than three minutes remaining in the game, the Wolverines had pulled ahead 56-52. Texico continued to build significant momentum in the final three minutes, while the Panthers seemed to not be able to catch a break or consistently score points. The Final score was 63-56, in a very hard-fought but nevertheless disappointing loss for the Panthers.