The #15 ranked Whitharral Panthers battled against the #4 ranked Texline Tornadoes in the Regional Semifinals of the 1A Division 2 boys basketball playoffs this past Monday at Bushland High School, resulting in the Panthers winning an overtime thriller, 78-74, to secure the Regional Semifinal Championship.
The game was as close as it gets, as each team went on runs and exchanged the lead, up until the final minute of the game when Texline seemingly had taken control.
Whitharral would respond by eliminating a five-point deficit in the final 30 seconds to tie the game at the end of regulation and send it to overtime, where they’d secure the win.
The Panthers played their best basketball of the year to conquer an elite team, that they’ve knowingly had past struggles against, and a massive reason why was the star trio of Brent Robinson, Damian Rodriguez and Nate Sansom.
Robinson recorded 29 points behind 12/26 shooting and three three-pointers made, adding eight rebounds, two steals and two assists, Sansom recorded 23 points behind 5/8 free throws made and two three-pointers made, adding 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks, and Damian Rodriguez recorded 13 points behind 9/13 free throws made, adding six assists, five rebounds and one steal.
“Those are my main guys. They’re seniors, they love the game and want to perform,” Panthers Head Basketball Coach Brett Berger said. “They love to be a team and work within the system. They do an incredible job making plays and also playing within the team.”
They were surrounded by a great supporting cast of Greg Johnson, Cooper Burns and Daniel Rodriguez, who may not have jumped off the stat sheet, but made big plays at crucial moments throughout the game.
Johnson scored seven points behind 3/3 field goal shooting, adding a rebound, Burns recorded four points, six rebounds and a steal, and Daniel Rodriguez recorded two points, a rebound and a steal.
Coach Berger would accredit those clutch playoff performances to the preparation and work his team put in earlier this season by intentionally playing against larger schools to simulate the postseason, which clearly paid off.
The win improves the Panthers to 24-10 overall and advances them to the Regional Finals, where they’ll face the Nazareth Swifts over the weekend.
Nazareth is ranked #24, entering as the undefeated 1A District 4 champions with a record of 22-8 overall, currently riding a 17-game win streak after beating Sands, 50-49, in the Regional Semifinals.
(Staff photo by Jentezen Smith)