Panthers and Gamecocks come down to the wire
The nightcap of the doubleheader between Portal and Screven County was decided on the very last shot. A couple of missed free throws led to a full-court sprint from Screven to get a shot up to win the game as the time expired. Screven's Rodney Beckhart got a good look at the rim, but could not get the layup to fall.
Tuesday's game was very fast-paced and scrappy from both sides. Both teams competed all game long in this tightly contested match-up. Portal entered the 4th quarter with a 38-36 lead. The Panthers found a way to create some space early on in the period. Zion Lanier and Josh Coleman put in a couple of baskets along with a triple from Brian McQueen, which led to Portal having a 48-39 lead with roughly 4 minutes to go. The Gamecocks roared back to cut the lead to 3. The Panthers were in need of a basket when the ball swung to Zeke Percell in the corner for a 3 that appeared to be the dagger.
Screven County refused to give up despite being down a couple of possessions with less than a minute left. A quick 5-0 run by Screven's Keon Hughes cut the lead to 1 with about 20 seconds left. After a valiant effort, the Gamecocks could not pull off the comeback.
Head Coach Jeff Brannen was proud that his team was able to bring home this win.
"We were outmanned in every position, but we fought and we kept fighting," Brannen said.
The backcourt tandem of Brian McQueen and Zion Lanier led the panthers in scoring with 16 points, each including being responsible for over half of the team's 4th quarter points. Portal also had contributions from C.J Hardin, Zeke Percell, Jaylon Strickland, Josh Coleman, and K.J Hunter.
Screven County was led by Rodney Beckworth, finished with 18 points, and Keon Hughes, who finished with 12 points.
The Panthers' record improves to 2-1 and they now have a 1-0 record in region play.
Brannen said there is some room for improvement before they get to the end of the season.
Turnovers and miscues doom Lady Panthers
The Lady Panthers put themselves in a hole in the second quarter and had to fight from behind the rest of the game. In the beginning of the game, Portal went on a run and looked like they would run away with the game. At the end of the first, the turnover bug bit the Panthers and did not let go.
The Gamecocks went into a zone defense and forced the ball towards the middle into a crowd of defenders. Active hands from Screven combined with poor passes from the Panthers led to empty possession from Portal. Foul trouble also was an issue for the Panthers. London Blackmon and Angel Cone found themselves having to sit for a good bit in the game and forced Portal to go deeper into their bench.
The Lady Panthers were behind by 13 going into the half. They showed some fight early on in the half, but the mistakes stifled any attempts at a comeback.
Head Coach Nicole Newton spoke on what her team has to do to clean up some of the miscues they had.
"We have got to cut down on the turnovers and stop panicking when we see a little of pressure," Newton said.
London Blackmon led the Panthers in scoring with 9, and Alyssa King followed up with 8 points. Other contributors were Tameeyah Kingsberry, McKinley Motes, Talyah Graham, Angel Cone, Kailyn King and Alysia Hagins.
For Screven, it was Achanti Middleton who scored 23 points in the game. Jaliah Roberts followed up with 18 points of her own. They got some help from Raz Simon, Olivia Jackson, Rayven Tyler, Anna Smith, Candace Scott, and Kadence Morris.
The Lady Panthers are now 1-2 on the season with a 0-1 record in region play.
Up Next:
Portal's varsity basketball teams will take a short trip up to Bryan County on Friday to face the Redskins. The girls will tip off at 6pm with the boys starting after.
