The Whitharral Panthers and Lady Panthers basketball teams both hosted and defeated each respective Elida team this past Friday night. The boys beat the Tigers 67-45, while the girls beat the Lady Tigers 70-39.
Leading scorers for the Panthers in the blowout win included Damian Rodriguez with 28 points on 10/22 shooting, making 8/10 free throws, and adding eight rebounds, six steals and three assists.
Nate Sansom posted 21 points on 8/16 shooting, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, and Brent Robinson recorded five points, two assists, one steal and one rebound.
Other scorers included Cooper Burns and Hudson Dobrovolny both with four points, Ayden Dockery with three points and Greg Johnson with two points.
“The game versus Elida was a game that we might not have wanted, but was a game we needed,” Panthers Head Coach Brett Berger said. “We had to learn how to battle when the game doesn’t go our way. It was more a mental game, being mentally tough instead of physically tough. Looking forward to a week off and coming back and facing Itasca in the first round of the Caprock Tournament.”
It's quite the flex to win by 22 points on an off night, but the adversity is still something they’ll learn from.
The Panthers are now 7-7 overall as they head into Christmas break before returning in the Caprock Classic Tournament on Monday versus Itasca at 4:30 p.m. in the Lubbock Monterey High School gym.
Their Caprock bracket includes Abernathy, Jacksboro, Alpine, Vega, Roosevelt, Iowa Park, Valley, Reagan County, Hale Center, Ira, Seymour, Panhandle, Texline, Quanah and Itasca.
After the tournament, the Panthers will return to action on Jan. 5 at 2:15 p.m. on the road against Eula.
On the Lady Panthers side of things, they simply took care of business with the 31-point victory, improving to 13-4 this season.
Scorers in the effort included Paige Smith with 30 points, Aerieana Rodriguez with 19 points, Sheridan Neal with seven points, Ka- lyn Bates with five points, Valeria Frias and Aaliyah Sanchez both with four points and Denae Sansom with one point.
Following the win, the Lady Panthers will also be in the first round of the Cap rock Classic on Monday against Lubbock Christian at 10:30 a.m. in the Lubbock Cooper High School main gym.
Their Caprock bracket includes Shallowater, Wildorado, Klondike, Floydada, Saint Mary’s Hall, Jacksboro, Vega, Munday, Lubbock Christian, Texline, Lubbock Titans, Trinity, Seymour, Wink and Dalhart.
After the tournament, the Lady Panthers will return to play on Jan. 6 at 6:15 p.m. on the road against Denver City.