The #15 ranked Whitharral Panthers squared off against the #24 Nazareth Swifts in the Regional Finals of the 1A Division 2 boys basketball playoffs this past Friday at Littlefield High School, resulting in a dominant 71-33 win for Whitharral.
The Panthers came out on fire, taking a 20-7 lead in the first quarter and a 42-19 lead into halftime, which would only grow in the second half in route to the victory.
The biggest key for Whitharral’s win was their defensive pressure, where they enforced many traps, which in return led to countless steals, blocks and de- flections, keeping Nazareth out of any scoring rhythm.
“In scouting, I just knew that if we were to mirror the ball, that they were going to turn the ball over,” Panthers Head Basketball Coach Brett Berger said. “I told the guys, ‘You can’t reach. They are going to turn it over for you,’ and so they listened to the scouting report and that’s that.”
They executed their defensive gameplan to perfection, which was complemented by a stellar offensive performance by Brent Robinson, who made some unreal baskets in the win.
Robinson scored 25 points on 10/16 field goal shooting, ¾ free throws made and two three-pointers made, adding seven rebounds, three steals and an assist.
“I mean, that’s him. He hurt himself in football this year and started off pretty slow when he came to basketball, and kind of wasn’t himself,” Coach Berger said. “So, that’s the Brent Robinson I know, and I’m glad that he showed up today.”
Robinson’s certainly peaking at the right time, and the same can be said about his teammates as well after numerous standout performances against Nazareth.
Other Panthers stat lines included Damian Rodri- guez with 21 points on 9/14 field goal shooting and three three-pointers made, adding five assists, five rebounds,
two steals and two blocks, Nate Sansom with 10 points behind 4/9 shooting and two three-pointers made, adding six rebounds, four blocks, two steals and an assist, Cooper Burns with eight points behind two three-pointers made, adding seven rebounds, two steals and two assists, and Greg Johnson with six points, three rebounds and an assist.
The win improves the Panthers to 25-10 overall, cap- turing their fifth Gold Ball this season and advancing them to the State Semifinals, where they’ll face #1 Jayton at Frenship Memorial High School. Jayton enters the matchup at 27-3 overall this season and as the undefeated 1A District 15 Champions.
“They’re big, they’re strong. It’ll be a good matchup,” Coach Berger said. “We’ve played teams that are that size this year, so we’re going to be prepared. They’re the defending State Champions in football and basketball, so we’re going to have to come out playing.”