Lady Panthers Put Up Gallant Fight, but Fall to Cards

Pattonsburg dug itself into an 18-7 hole against Mercer that it could not get out of Monday during districts. They made several comeback tries, but fell in the end to the Cardinals 47-32.

The Panthers ended their season after having won 10 games, an improvement of two over last year. Mired in a long losing streak of seven games, they broke out of it in their last two games of the year, beating OSHS 32-27 and North Nodaway 44-19. They came a long ways despite graduating shot-blocking phenom Kinsley Johnson and current NCMC track athlete Katelyn Jones, who tore her ACL against Gilman City last year, but who is back this year for the Pirates.

Five different Cards got into the scoring column in the first quarter, led by Zoe Fisher with seven. They were rebounding at will, getting the ball inside at will, and Pattonsburg was doing too much hacking and fouling on defense. Mercer scored seven of its 18 points from the free throw line.

Pattonsburg tried to make a stand in the second quarter as Cheyenne Miller hit two free throws to start the period, but then a costly foul sent leading rebounder Jayden Goble to the bench with three fouls. Without their leading rebounder, the bottom threatened to drop out as the Cardinals pulled away to a 27-11 halftime lead.

Kavinly Bumgarner resurrected Pattonsburg’s chances in the third quarter, hitting back to back jacks to make it 29-17. Cheyenne Miller became the slasher/scorer that coach Lee Warford always thought she could become, attacking the rim time and time again. Carly Pittsenbarger, who had shown steady improvement in the post all year, suddenly discovered a 3-point shot after Mercer once again threatened to pull away.

With Goble once again on the bench with four fouls, Annabelle Gardner stepped up on the defensive end, grabbing rebounds for the Panthers, but the Cards proved difficult to guard with all five people on the floor a threat to score. They pulled away to a 42-24 lead after three and extended it to 45-26 on Kylie Holt’s free throw early in the fourth.

Annabelle Gardner got a steal, threw it to Carlie Pittsenbarger, who fed Miller for a finish, Jayden Goble came back and took her second charge on defense, and Gardner posted up and scored to make it 45-30, but Pattonsburg could get no closer.

The Panthers graduate Gardner, a defensive stopper and rebounding force as well as Bumgarner, who turned into a three-point threat late in the season and showed some newfound aggression on defense to throw a wrench into Mercer’s offense. They will return Addie Iddings, who can light up the scoreboard in a hurry, rebounding machine Jayden Goble, who showed a newfound willingness to attack the basket, Cheyenne Miller, who is rapidly becoming a scoring threat and ballhandling presence, and Carlie Pittsenbarger, who provides some size and who showed steady improvement in the post.

Cheyenne Miller had 13 points for the Panthers. Carlie Pittsenbarger had 7, Kavinly Bumgarner 6, Jayden Goble 4, and Annabelle Gardner 2.

 

Kristen Tracy, Rylee Ruckman Go Off for Tigers; Jayden Goble Gets Career High for Panthers

Worth County's girls overcame a slow start Tuesday, February 3rd against Pattonsburg and built up an insurmountable lead by the end of the third quarter. They went on to get a 62-38 win over the Panthers. Kristen Tracy has now saved two of her best games for the Panthers, getting 20 points, her most in quite some time, and adding 14 boards. Rylee Ruckman overcame foul trouble and added 18. The supporting cast played a big role, as the Tigers saw their lead grow from eight to 13 points with Kynlee Steele and Keira Hardy on the floor in the last four minutes of the second quarter with Ruckman and Kambree Briner sitting with three fouls. 

Ruckman is another player who has saved some of her best games for the Panthers. During her eighth-grade year, the Tigers played a junior high game at the dome with Pattonsburg that featured nearly every play turning into a rugby scrum, with 36 held balls being called. Ruckman was the best player on the court that night with 13 steals, and the Tigers came away victorious.

For Pattonsburg, they got Addie Iddings back (flu), but the Tigers shut her out for the night. Jayden Goble stepped up, getting a career high 15 points and 10 rebounds. Annabelle Gardner, who always seems to save her best games for the Tigers, had 12 points and 13 rebounds. Cheyenne Miller had 8. 

The game was tied and 7 and 9 before Worth County finally got some separation early in the second quarter as Audrey Runde and Rylee Ruckman got back-to-back jacks to make it 15-9. Pattonsburg was outworking and outrebounding Worth County in the early going and Worth County was making some crazy passes down the floor that weren't there. 

Cheyenne Miller's free throw cut the Pattonsburg deficit to 17-12 before Kambree Briner hit a free throw and Kristen Tracy went backdoor to make it 20-12. That was the score when both Ruckman and Briner went to the bench with three fouls. Pattonsburg twice cut it to six, but after that, it was Worth County who rallied as Runde went backdoor, Kristen Tracy knocked one down in the high post, Runde got a putback, and Keira Hardy hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to make it 31-18 at the half.

Miller and Goble worked the boards to cut it to 31-22 to start the second half, but a rested Ruckman went off on one of her scoring bursts, hitting a free throw, knocking down a 3-opinter, and getting a putback to make it 37-22. Audrey Runde stole a lazy inbounds pass, Kambree Briner slashed and scored, and Rylee Ruckman hit her third triple of the night to make it 44-22 to cap off the 13-0 run.

Jayden Goble hit a free throw to break the run, but Kristen Tracy hit a shot in the high post, and then Kynlee Steele scored three points as she made a free throw, missed the second, and then the Tigers kept the possession alive for five chances before Steele drew another foul and hit two free throws as the Tigers reversed their rebounding deficit from the first half.

Kristen Tracy hit three free throws down the third quarter stretch, Kambree Briner slashed and scored, and Rylee Ruckman hit her fourth and fifth triples of the night to put the Tigers up 61-27 before they started subbing freely.

Kristen Tracy had 20 points. Rylee Ruckman had 18, Audrey Runde 12, Kambree Briner 5, Keira Hardy and Kynlee Steele 3, and Megan Tracy 1.

Kristen Tracy had 3 blocks. Megan Tracy had 1.

Kristen Tracy had 14 boards. Kynlee Steele had 6, Megan Tracy and Audrey Runde 5, Rylee Ruckman and Kambree Briner 4, and Keira Hardy had 1.

Audrey Runde and Megan Tracy had 6 assists. Rylee Ruckman and Kambree Briner had 3 each, Kennedy Murphy 2, and Kynlee Steele and Kristen Tracy 1.

Megan Tracy had 5 tips. Rylee Ruckman had 3, Kristen Tracy and Kambree Briner had 2, and Kynlee Steele, Audrey Runde, and Keira Hardy had 1.

Kristen Tracy had 5 steals. Audrey Runde and Rylee Ruckman had 4 each. Kennedy Murphy had 3, Megan Tracy 3, and Kambree Briner, Kynlee Steele, and Keira Hardy had 1.

For Pattonsburg, Jayden Goble had 15 points. Annabelle Gardner had 12, Cheyenne Miller 8, and Carly Pittsenbarger 3.

Annabelle Gardner had 2 blocks. Addie Iddings, Jayden Goble, and Cheyenne Miller had 1.

Annabelle Gardner had 13 boards. Jayden Goble had 10, Addie Iddings 6, Kavinly Bumgarner and Carly Pittsenbarger 3, and Cheyenne Miller 2. 

Jayden Goble had 3 assists. Annabelle Gardner and Addie Iddings had 2, and Kavinly Bumgarner and Carly Pittsenbarger had 1.

Jayden Goble had 5 tips. Cheyenne Miller had 2 and Kavinly Bumgarner, Annabelle Gardner, and Addie Iddings had 1 each.

Cheyenne Miller had 7 steals. Jayden Goble and Annabelle Gardner had 2 each and Kavinly Bumgarner and Carly Pittsenbarger had 1.

Gavin Humphrey, Reagan Coin Lift Panthers Past Tigers 58-55

Pattonsburg's boys have been searching for consistency all year, but they have greatly improved on last year's record. After dropping two games the week before to teams they had beaten earlier in the season, they turned around and saved one of their best games for Worth County, overcoming an 11-point deficit and coming back to win 58-55. When the Panthers are on, they have four different players in Gavin Humphrey, Drake Sperry, Brandon Heath, and Reagan Coin who all go off at once. When that happens, they are very hard to guard. In the meantime, Worth County has been searching all year for a third scoring option besides Caleb New and Brock Healy; as a result, they have been playing close games with everyone but have struggled to finish off games.

At first, it looked like things would go the Tigers' way when, for once, they got the kind of help from the supporting cast they were looking for all year. They got five different people in the scoring column and a late burst by Celeb New and an NBA 3-pointer from Brock Healy broke a 10-10 tie and put the Tigers up 17-10 after one.

But Brandon Heath has been the kind of player this year for Pattonsburg who has kept going when everything else has fallen apart for his team. He kept scoring while Worth County was trying to pull away, getting eight straight points for the Panthers at one point. As a result, the Panthers were still in it when Caleb New put together a late scoring burst for the Tigers to put them up 29-20 at the half.

Ryder Smyser scored for the Tigers to put them up 31-20 to start the third quarter but promptly picked up his third foul and sat. Without their best post player, Worth County struggled to contain Pattonsburg defensively, and the supporting cast stepped in for Pattonsburg. The Panthers started beating the Tigers up and down the court, with Drake Sperry hitting a 3-pointer, Gavin Humphrey and Brandon Heath converting fast breaks, and Heath slashing and scoring to make it 33-30. The supporting cast stepped up for Worth County at that point, as Cole Ruby knocked down a 3-pointer to make it 38-30. 

Smyser picked up his fourth foul late in the third, but as long as the supporting cast was scoring for the Tigers, they could match Pattonsburg blow for blow. Brock Healy aired one out to Dylan Smith, who scored to put the Tigers back up 45-36. Gavin Humphrey hit two free throws for the Panthers, but Cole Ruby scored for the Tigers to make it 47-38 after three.

But the supporting cast only scored two points for the Tigers in the fourth quarter, and Pattonsburg started coming back as both Gavin Humphrey and Reagan Coin went off in the period, with Humphrey getting 10 in the quarter and Coin adding seven. With Worth County clinging to a 51-49 lead with under four minutes, they felt the loss of Hayden Sanders (ankle); without Hayden in the lineup, they have been turning the ball over a lot more. They proceeded to turn the ball over on four straight possessions as Drake Sperry hit an NBA 3-pointer to put Pattonsburg up 56-52. 

Brock Healy finally hit a 3-pointer to make it 56-55 and then blocked Gavin Humphrey from behind to give Worth County a chance, but Caleb New missed a shot and then Reagan Coin hit two free throws to make it 58-55 with 26 seconds left. Brock Healy missed two guarded threes and Caleb New missed one as the Tigers could not get the tying score at the end.

For Worth County, Brock Healy had 20, Caleb New 19, Cole Ruby 8, Dylan Smith 4, and Ryder Smyser 4. 

Caleb New had 4 blocks. Dylan Smith and Brock Healy had 1.

Caleb New had 8 boards. Dylan Smith had 7, Brock Healy 6, Ryder Smyser 4, Jordan Dannar 3, and Cole Ruby and Brock Healy 2.

Brock Healy had 6 assists. Cole Ruby had 4, Caleb New, Ryder Smyser, and Brock Healy had 2, and Jordan Dannar had 1.

Caleb New had 6 tips. Brock Healy had 4, and Dylan Smith, Brock Healy, Ryder Smyser, and Cole Ruby had 2.

Caleb New, Brock Healy, and Brayden Combs had 2 steals. Dylan Smith had 1.

For Pattonsburg, getting four people into double figures made all the difference. Gavin Humphrey had 20, Branden Heath 15, Drake Sperry 10, and Reagan Coin 10. Collin Mason had 3.

Drake Sperry had 10 boards. Collin Mason had 6, Gavin Humphrey 5, Reagan Coin 4, and Brandon Heath 2.

Gavin Humphrey and Drake Sperry had 5 assists. Reagan Coin had 4, and Brandon Heath and Collin Mason had 1.

Brandon Heath had 6 tips. Reagan Coin had 4, and Drake Sperry and Collin Mason had 1.

Drake Sperry and Reagan Coin had 3 steals. Gavin Humphrey had 2 and Brandon Heath and Collin Mason had 1. 

Camden Griffith Scores 37, Mason Preston Has Career High as Hawks Take Third, Avenge Loss

Camden Griffith had 37 points and Mason Preston had a career high with 15 as Gilman City avenged a regular season loss to Pattonsburg and secured third place in its home tournament. For Pattonsburg, they have improved on their record from last year, but the game showed they are still searching for consistency as they suffered two losses to teams that they had beaten earlier and barely made it out of the first round.

After an impressive win over North Nodaway to start the tournament, Gilman City ran into a buzzsaw against Princeton, who promptly built up a 45-17 halftime lead against them. Gilman City responded by putting together their best quarter of the year in cutting it to 57-38 late in the period. But a momentum-shifting play happened at the third quarter buzzer as the Hawks fouled Blake Bears as time expired. Bears only made one of two to make it 58-38, but that play shifted the momentum back in Princeton’s favor as they regained control and ran away with an 83-48 win.

At first, Pattonsburg jumped out to a 5-2 lead as Brandon Heath scored the first five points for the Panthers. Then, Camden Griffith got a steal and drive and then went coast to coast on another play. Mason Preston added a 3-pointer to make it 9-5. Brandon Heath scored his seventh straight point for Pattonsburg and Drake Sperry cashed in after Reagan Coin got an offensive board to knot it at 9, but Bo Eads hit a 3-pointer for Gilman City and Dakota Meringa cut inside and got a pass from Bo Eads to make it 14-9 with 2:23 left in the first.

Pattonsburg cut it to two three times, the last time on Collin Mason’s putback with 6:44 left in the second before Griffith took over for Gilman City and boosted them to a 22-16 lead. Griffith had the hot hand for the rest of the quarter as Gilman City took a 30-24 lead into the half.

But the third quarter started off well for Pattonsburg as Gavin Humphrey scored six straight to knot it at 30. Camden Griffith hit a 3-pointer, but Reagan Coin promptly knotted it right back up at 33. But from there, Gilman City took control as Jace Estrada scored three straight from the line, Camden Griffith slashed and scored, added a 3-pointer, and then hit two three-pointers after a steal to make it 43-33 after three.

Griffith scored from inside and knocked down a shot from the high post and Mason Preston cut inside and scored to make it 49-33 to start the fourth, but then the game started turning into a slugfest and Pattonsburg started fighting back. Aden Woodward hit a free throw and Reagan Coin converted a third chance putback to make it 49-36. Gavin Humphrey got hot again to cut it to 50-39, Drake Sperry went coast to coast to cut it to 52-42, and then Brandon Heath hit a baseline three to cut it to 54-45 with 3:29 left, still plenty of time.

Mason Preston hit two free throws to stop the bleeding, but Gavin Humphrey once again cut it to nine at 58-49 with 2:42 left. Preston hit a free throw, Camden Griffith took a charge on Gavin Humphrey despite the Panthers contending it was a flop, and Griffith went coast to coast against pressure to make it 61-49 with 2:25 left.

Brandon Heath hit a free throw, Gavin Humphrey hit two, and Reagan Coin got loose in transition to cut it to 61-54 with 1:21 left, still plenty of time. But Gavin Humphrey picked up his fifth foul and Camden Griffith hit two free throws to make it 63-54 with 1:09 left.

Once again, Pattonsburg made it interesting when Drake Sperry hit a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left to make it 63-57. Collin Mason got a steal which would have cut it to three or four, but the ball got away into the back court and Mason Preston stole the ball back and got fouled, making both free throws to make it three possessions again at 65-57 with 37 seconds left. Alex Young added another with 11 seconds left to seal the win.

For Gilman City, Camden Griffith had 37 points. Mason Preston had 15, Bo Eads 6, Dakota Meringa 4, Jace Estrada 3, and Alex Young 1.

Jace Estrada and Bo Eads had 1 block.

Camden Griffith had 10 boards. Mason Preston and Bo Eads had 8, Alex Young 4, Jace Estrada 3, Dakota Meringa 2, and Beckett Williams 1.

Mason Preston nearly had a triple-double as he had 8 assists. Dakota Meringa had 3, and Camden Griffith and Bo Eads had 2.

Camden Griffith had 2 tips. Alex Young, Bo Eads, and Dakota Meringa had 1.

Mason Preston had 5 steals. Camden Griffith had 3 and Bo Eads had 1.

For Pattonsburg, Gavin Humphrey did all he could, as he had 21. Brandon Heath had 14, Drake Sperry 10, Reagan Coin 7, Aden Woodward 3, and Collin Mason 2.

Collin Mason had 12 points. Gavin Humphrey had 9, Drake Sperry 8, Reagan Coin 6, Brandon Heath 4, and Jeremy Pittsenbarger and Aden Woodward 2.

Reagan Coin had 6 assists. Drake Sperry had 4 and Gavin Humphrey 1.

Reagan Coin had 4 tips. Brandon Heath had 2 and Gavin Humphrey and Aden Woodward had 1.

Brandon Heath had 3 steals. Collin Mason, Drake Sperry, and Gavin Humphrey had 2 and Aden Woodward had 1.

 

MSHSAA Changes Basketball Sectional Hosting

The Missouri State High School Activities Association has changed how basketball post-district hosting is assigned. Previously, participants would host sectionals and quarterfinals. For instance, Gilman City traveled to Santa Fe last year to play in the girls sectionals. Now, the MSHSAA has assigned these events to schools with bigger seating capacities.

The District 15 vs. District 16 Class 1 boys basketball sectional matchup will be played at North Platte High School in Dearborn Tuesday, March 3rd at 6 pm. District 16 involves Worth County, NEN, and North Nodaway. 

The District 13 vs. District 14 matchup will be Tuesday, March 3rd at Maysville at 6 pm. District 14 involves North Harrison, Gilman City, and Pattonsburg.

The Quarterfinal matchup will be played at Chillicothe High School on Saturday, March 7th at 1 pm.

For the girls basketball games, The District 15 vs. District 16 matchup will be Monday, March 2nd at 6 pm at Bishop LeBlond High School. District 16 involves Worth County, NEN, and North Nodaway.

The District 13 vs. District 14 matchup will Monday, March 2nd at 6 pm at Maysville. District 14 involves North Harrison, Gilman City, and Pattonsburg.

The Quarterfinal matchup will be Friday, March 6th at 6 pm at Gallatin High School.

All State Championship games will be played at Mizzou Arena.

 

Monday Roundup -- Gilman City Boys Bounce Back With Big Win Over Mustangs

Camden Griffith had 28 points as Gilman City bounced back from an overtime loss against Mercer with a 53-32 win over North Nodaway in the first round of the Gilman City Tournament.

The Hawks scored the first 10 points of the game before North Nodaway struck back with the next six. But the rest of the game belonged to Gilman City, who scored the next 10 points to pull away to a 20-6 lead in the second. By the half, it was a 34-17 margin. Marek Stevens did all he could to keep the Mustangs in it with nine points in the second, to no avail.

Blaine Clements picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter for North Nodaway and Gilman City continued to pull away, scoring the first seven points of the period to lead 41-17 before Ridge Clements scored four straight to stop the bleeding.

Griffith had 28 points, 15 in the second period as the Hawks were pulling away. Mason Preston had 9, Jace Estrada 6, Jackson Alldredge 6, Dustin Ward 3, and Dakota Meringa 1.

For North Nodaway, Marek Stevens had 9. Jackson Keho, Kaeden Nave, Hayden Marriott, Ridge Clements, and Jordan DeLeon all had 4. Blaine Clements had 3.

Pattonsburg Girls 56, Union Star 40

Union Star has been the Cinderella story of this year, fighting for a winning season after having been a doormat team since the early 2000’s. But Pattonsburg, who had lost to the Trojans earlier this year at the OSHS Tournament, smashed the glass slipper at least for one night, pulling away for a 56-40 win.

The teams were neck and neck for the first three quarters, with Pattonsburg clinging on to a 38-37 lead in the closing seconds of the third. The Panthers didn’t realize that time was winding down in the third until all of a sudden, Addie Iddings realized what was happening and threw up a 30-foot prayer at the third quarter buzzer that went in to make it 41-37.

Iddings’ shot sparked the Panthers to a big run as Iddings cashed in on Kavinly Baumgarner's steal, launched another NBA triple, and then launched one from the left wing to make it 49-37. Carlie Pittsenbarger came through in the post down the stretch with four points and Iddings struck again, cherry-picking a layup after the Trojans failed to cash in on the other end.

The Trojans struggled with their most physical player, Bailey Steeby, on the bench with her fourth foul.

Addie Iddings finished the game with a career high 26 points, 21 in the second half. Cheyenne Miller kept Pattonsburg in the game after they got behind early, getting 13, 10 in the first quarter. Carlie Pittsenbarger had 6, Annabelle Gardner 5, Jayden Goble 4, and Kavinly Bumgarner 2.

The Panthers jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, but Union Star moved ahead after Pattonsburg’s best rebounder, Jayden Goble, came up limping and did not return until the 1:27 mark of the first quarter. In the meantime, Union Star swarmed and crashed the boards, racing out to a 13-7 lead which they made stand up until the last 1:44 of the third quarter. Goble made up for lost time, grabbing a career-high 19 boards for the Panthers.

The Panthers overcame a ton of mistakes to get the win, giving up 24 offensive rebounds and committing 20 turnovers.

Kenzie Pettijohn has been fueling the Trojans’ fire during their Cinderella run this year; she had 19 for Union Star.

Princeton girls 38, North Nodaway 28

Princeton, another Cinderella team, has been surprising a lot of observers this year, building up an impressive won/lost record despite a young team. They built up a 13-4 lead early in the second quarter, only for North Nodaway to hang around for the rest of the game.

Unlike Pattonsburg, North Nodaway could not overcome their mistakes as Princeton took advantage of 26 Mustang turnovers and 22 offensive rebounds, many of them by freshman Aniston Power.

For North Nodaway, Jackie Wray had 8, Lily Blane 6, Eliza Clements 6, and Lacy Riley 5. Eliza Clements had two 3-pointers, both of them in the fourth quarter after Princeton was finally threatening to pull away. While she has had 3-pointers before, it was her first multiple 3-point game. She has also climbed up the assist charts this year; she had five Monday night.

Princeton boys 65, Union Star 21

Union Star put up a gallant effort in the first quarter, only trailing 15-9 at one point. But then the state-ranked Blue Tigers made use of their size and speed, pulling away in the next three and doing whatever they wanted to. Kash Holt of Princeton had a dunk in the second quarter before landing on his back afterwards; he was OK.

Stanberry girls 71, NEN 36

Northeast Nodaway put up a season high in points scored with 36 points, but they did not have an answer against Kaitlyn Shisler, who had 26 for Stanberry. The Bulldogs have at least two people who can go off on any given night; Kynzee Adcock had a 26-point night earlier in the season.

Hayley Yost was a bright spot for Northeast Nodaway. Going up in the post against the much taller Shisler, she had 15 points on the night for the Bluejays. Blair Nelson had 9, Mylee Wilmes 6, and Rylee Scadden 6. Northeast Nodaway was 15 for 45 from the field. The Bluejays are still searching for their first win.

OSHS boys 65, NEN 42

After their near-miss against Platte Valley, Northeast Nodaway’s boys have been struggling to buy a stop on defense, giving up 77 to 8-10 Mound City and 65 against the Wildcards.

Wyatt Scadden was a bright spot for the Bluejays, getting 17 points. Liam Cordell had 9, Bentin Roberts 9, Lance Runde 6, and Reece Gray 1. Northeast shot 15 for 44 from the field.

OSHS’ Ian Saunders scored his 1500th point.

 

 

 

Gavin Humphrey Gets Double-Double, Paces Three Panthers in Double Figures

Gavin Humphrey paces three Pattonsburg players in double figures Wednesday as the Panthers grabbed 49 rebounds and ran past Southwest Livingston 75-34. Drake Sperry and Reagan Coin had career nights, and Drake nearly got a triple-double, getting 13 boards and 8 assists. Humphrey had 11 boards to go with 21 points. 

Peyton Moss hit a 3-pointer to start the Wildcats off, but Brandon Heath hit two in traffic and Collin Mason got behind the Wildcat defense, getting two free throws. Drake Sperry hit Gavin Humphrey backdoor, and Humphrey converted a three-point play to make it 7-3 with 6:44 left in the first quarter.

Grant Warren's free throw cut it to 7-4, but Gavin Humphrey got behind the defense and got a pass from Drake Sperry, Collin Mason went backdoor and got a pass from Humphrey, and Gavin Humphrey converted a third-chance putback to make it 13-4. 

Southwest tried to switch from a man to a 2-3 zone to stop Humphrey from slashing to the basket at will, but Pattonsburg continued to pull away as Drake Sperry hit a baseline shot and Brandon Heath got loose in transition and got a pass from Humphrey before Warren's triple cut Southwest's deficit to 17-7.  

Pattonsburg was running up and down the floor at will; the Wildcats tried to run with them and keep up, but after Lyam Myers hit a 3-pointer to cut the Southwest deficit to 22-10, the bottom dropped out after Drake Sperry's putback sparked a big run. Reagan Coin got a steal and fed Aden Woodward for two, Woodward hit Sperry in the paint, Sperry got a putback, Drake hit Gavin Humphrey inside for two, Collin Mason got a steal and fed Brandon Heath, and then Gavin Humphrey got a steal and fed Heath for two more. By the time the dust had settled, the Panthers were up 36-10 with 4:23 left. Grant Warren did all he could to keep Southwest in the game, but a late push by Gavin Humphrey put the Panthers up 43-14 at the half.

After Sperry scored twice in the paint for Pattonsburg to start the second half, Warren continued to hit for Southwest, getting seven points in a 1:35 stretch. But then he picked up his fourth foul and Pattonsburg continued to pull away as Reagan Coin started a big run with a 3-pointer, Drake Sperry got a free throw, Gavin Humphrey scored six straight, Jeremy Pittsenbarger scored a baseline shot, Drake Sperry scored off a Reagan Coin steal, and Pittsenbarger connected again to start the fourth quarter. That capped a 16-0 Pattonsburg run and put them up 70-23 before the Panthers started subbing freely. Remington White got on the board and Aden Woodward hit three free throws down the stretch for them.

Gavin Humphrey had 21 points for Pattonsburg. Drake Sperry had 15, Reagan Coin 14, Brandon Heath 8, Collin Mason 6, Aden Woodward 5, Jeremy Pittsenbarger 4, and Remington White 2.

Brandon Heath and Drake Sperry had 1 block.

Drake Sperry had 13 boards. Gavin Humphrey had 11, Aden Woodward 7, Collin Mason and Reagan Coin 6, Jeremy Pittsenbarger 4, and Brandon Heath 2. Pattonsburg had 49 rebounds for the day, which fueled their huge offensive output. 

Drake Sperry had 8 assists. Gavin Humphrey and Collin Mason had 5 each, Aden Woodward 4, and Reagan Coin 3.

Reagan Coin had 6 tips. Aden Woodward had 5, Gavin Humphrey 3, and Drake Sperry, Brandon Heath, and Jeremy Pittsenbarger 1. 

Reagan Coin had 6 steals. Aden Woodward had 3, Collin Mason and Gavin Humphrey 2, and Drake Sperry 1. 

Annabelle Gardner Scores 18; Resurgent Panthers Win Third Straight

Annabelle Gardner scored 18 points and a resurgent Pattonsburg squad won its third straight game, downing Southwest Livingston 43-17 Wednesday to get back to 5-5. Jayden Goble went beast mode with 15 boards and Cheyenne Miller nearly had a double-double, getting 11 points and 9 steals. 

The scoring started with 7:13 in the first when Kavinly Bumgarner got a quick outlet to Cheyenne Miller for a finish. Jayden Goble got a putback, and consecutive putbacks by Gardner made it 8-0. Timberlynn Palmer got Southwest on the board with a 3-pointer, but Cheyenne Miller went up strong and scored an off-balance shot and Gardner and Miller added free throws to make it 12-3 after one. 

Southwest hung around to start the second quarter, but then Annabelle Gardner started getting on the line at will, making three of six in the period and cashing in off a steal to make it 19-5. Cheyenne Miller scored after Addie Iddings pushed it up the floor, and then Gardner cleaned up off a steal. Jayden Goble cut inside off an inbounds play and scored to make it 25-5 after one half.

The Wildcats tried to rally, scoring consecutive points for the first time and cutting it to 25-9. But then Addie Iddings, who has the ability to score points in bunches, hit back-to-back triples and added a steal to put the game out of reach at 33-9. Annabelle Gardner got a tip and Cheyenne Miller got a steal, finishing it with two free throws on the other end to make it 35-9 after three.

Annabelle Gardner kept working the offensive glass at will, getting two straight putbacks to start the fourth and added a baseline shot. Carlie Pittsenbarger got a putback to give Pattonsburg its largest lead of the day at 43-11.

Annabelle Gardner had 18 points to lead Pattonsburg. Cheyenne Miller had 11, Addie Iddings 8, Jayden Goble 4, and Carlie Pittsenbarger 2.

Annabelle Gardner and Jayden Goble had 3 blocks each.

Jayden Goble had 15 boards. Annabelle Gardner had 7, Addie Iddings and Carlie Pittsenbarger 5 each, and Kavinly Bumgarner and Cheyenne Miller 3 each.

Jayden Goble, Addie Iddings, and Kavinly Bumgarner had 3 assists each. Cheyenne Miller and Annabelle Gardner had 1 each.

Cheyenne Miller had 9 tips. Kavinly Bumgarner had 4, Addie Iddings and Annabelle Gardner 3 each, and Jayden Goble 1.

Cheyenne Miller had 9 steals. Annabelle Gardner had 7, Addie Iddings 4, Carlie Pittsenbarger 2, and Jayden Goble and Kavinly Bumgarner 1.

Worth County to Host Boys District 16

Worth County’s boys will host Boys District 16 this year. That is the good news for the Tigers. The bad news is that the district title will go through Rock Port until someone else shows otherwise.

Rock Port has come out of the gate with a 5-1 record. Like Worth County, they got a late start due to the State Football Championship and were run out of the gym 84-47 to Faith Christian Academy on their first game of the season. But they have been winning ever since, with impressive wins over OSHS, Gallatin, and Green City.

Worth County is also at 5-1. They have an overtime win over King City and recovered from a 75-72 loss to Mount Ayr with a 42-36 win over Braymer.

Platte Valley sits at 2-8. They could be a matchup problem for Worth County with their 6’5” 300 pound behemoth Andy Mattson and freshman guard Grady Gockel. They have been faced with a brutal schedule in the first half, as every team they have lost to is a bigger school and/or well over .500.

Mound City, like Platte Valley, has had a brutal schedule to open up the season and sits at 3-6. They play Platte Valley at the start of the year, so something has to give between the two schools. Their coach, Alan Ottman, has gotten a lot of mileage out of his squad in postseason.

Stanberry, at 2-5, has been close in all but two of its losses. North Nodaway sits at 2-6, but could pose a matchup problem with its two big post players in Jordan DeLeon and Blaine Clements. Northeast Nodaway recently got their first win, over DeKalb. They are young, with a lot of freshmen getting playing time. But they are quick, don’t give up easily, and could do damage in the new year.

Whoever gets out of District 16 will have to get past Heartland Christian, the team that beat Rock Port. They nearly upset Braymer’s run to the Final Four last year and return most of their players from that squad. They have a lot of shooting and depth and are playing on a mission despite hitting a skid with two losses. Whoever wins that contest will likely have to deal with Braymer, who is still solid despite losing key players from last year’s Final Four squad.

On the girls side, Worth County will go to Stanberry for Class 1 District 16. That district is loaded and could go to any one of five possible teams.

Rock Port is at 8-1, headed by Ella Meyerkorth, who Northwest has shown interest in. Their only loss was to Mid-Buchanan, a Class 3 perennial powerhouse. They have only been challenged two other times, by Mound City and by Green City. The Blue Jays have two other Meyerkorth girls as well as some other players who can chip in.

Mound City got off to a rocky start, with losses to Plattsburg and Rock Port. But they have been winning ever since behind Maggie Osburn. Like Mound City, Stanberry got off to a rocky 1-2 start, but have not lost since. They have the most depth in the area besides Platte Valley, with 14 girls out for basketball, more than most.

Worth County has been streaky this year. They started off winning their first six, including the Albany Tournament. They dropped their next three, but righted the ship with a win over Braymer to go to 7-3. Platte Valley is at 4-5, but their highly physical style of play and their depth, with 20 girls out, will present a matchup nightmare. North Nodaway was seeded near the bottom in both the PVI and Stanberry Tournaments, but are surprising some people; they have picked up their fourth win before the break. They have struggled to break 30 points, but have teams under 30 in each of their four wins. Northeast Nodaway is rebuilding after losing a bunch of key players from last year and is still searching for its first win.

Whoever comes out of District 16 will likely play either King City, DeKalb, or surprising Union Star, which is at 5-3 to start the season.

For District 14, the good news for Gilman City’s girls is that they don’t have to play Santa Fe, the team that beat them by 16 in sectionals. Santa Fe got moved up to Class 2 this year. The bad news is that they will have to get past Princeton. The Blue Tigers got off to a rocky start this year, losing to the Hawks to start the season and then dropping two more at the Albany Tournament to start 1-3. But they have been winning ever since, and Mike Schmidli, their coach, has always overachieved in postseason play.

The rest of the district can’t be overlooked. Mercer lost to Worth County to start the season, but is on track to improve from last year and has an impressive win at Milan to its credit. North Harrison has length and athleticism and made a run to the Gallatin Tournament finals before losing to the Hawks. Pattonsburg, after playing a forgettable first half against the Hawks, played a much better second half and built on that, winning their next two. East Harrison is one of the most physical teams in the area, while Tri-County, which made it to the district finals last year, has reloaded and is at 5-3 despite losing key players from last year.

Gilman City’s boys won’t have to worry about Grundy County, the team that beat them in District Finals, as the Panthers have been moved to District 12. But they will have to travel to Princeton and get past the heavily favored Princeton squad.

Brandon Heath Hangs 23 on Hawks; Camden Griffith's 24 Not Enough

Brandon Heath hung 23 points on Gilman City Tuesday, December 16th and Gavin Humphrey added 19 in Pattonsburg's 59-51 win over Gilman City. Camden Griffith's 24 points were not enough for the Hawks. The Panthers have been fighting back to get to .500 and have nearly matched their win total of five games from last year. Gilman City was highly touted coming into the season but have faced a brutal schedule in the first half of the season, finishing at 3-7. They have been in all their games besides the Gallatin and Princeton games but have never gotten over the hump. After starting out with an impressive win over Trenton, their other wins, against tailenders Union Star and NEN, have been adventures, with the Trojans lighting up the scoreboard in the first half before faltering in the second, while the Bluejays, after being down 28 in the fourth quarter, nearly made a game of it at one point. Gilman City's best game this year has been against Green City, who they led at the end of three before faltering in the fourth to fall 62-57.

Bo Eads put the Hawks up 3-0, but Reagan Coin, recently returned from an injury, tied it up. Three-pointers by Drake Sperry and Brandon Heath put the Panthers up 9-5 at the 5:55 mark. The Hawks began fighting back, with Jace Estrada fighting back on the offensive boards and getting two putbacks and Camden Griffith converting a baseline drive as time expired to cut the Hawk deficit to 15-13. Griffth got a steal and drive to tie it at 15, and then Bo Eads answered a pair of Gavin Humphrey free throws with a 3-pointer to put the Hawks in front 18-17.

But the rest of the quarter belonged to the Panthers as Gavin Humphrey got untracked and scored four straight. Drake Sperry got an inside shot, Aden Woodward cleaned up after a Reagan Coin steal, and Drake Sperry got a pair of free throws after grabbing an offensive glass to make it 27-18. Jace Estrada got a putback to stop the bleeding and Camden Griffith scored from inside to make it 27-22. Brandon Heath converted a steal for the Panthers before Camden Griffith hit a free throw to cut it to 29-23 at the break.

With the Panthers up 31-25 early in the third, Drake Sperry picked up his fourth foul, giving the Hawks a golden opportunity to catch up. But after Camden Griffith scored three straight to make it 31-28, Gavin Humphrey hit a 3-pointer, Brandon Heath scored off a drive, and Gavin Humphrey hit a 3-pointer to make it 39-32 after three and the Hawks were behind where they were when Sperry came out. The game threatened to get out of hand early in the fourth when Brandon Heath scored six straight, including four off of steals, to start the period to make it 45-32.

Gilman City began its comeback bid when Camden Griffith hit a free throw and Jace Estrada scored four straight to cut it to 45-37 with 5:22 left. But Gavin Humphrey started slashing to the rim at will, scoring seven straight to put his team back up double digits, and Brandon Heath added a pair of free throws to make it 56-42 with 1:37 left.

The score was still 58-44 with just over a minute left, but the frantic play of Alex Young nearly got the Hawks back in the game before they ran out of time. Jace Estrada converted a third-chance putback after Alex Young kept a possession alive. Brandon Heath made one out of two to make it 59-46 with 1:04 left, but Young slashed to the basket and Mason Preston inbounded to Camden Griffith to make it 59-50 with 20 seconds left. Then, Mason Preston got a tip and Alex Young got a steal with five seconds left, and Young hit one of two to make it 59-51. Alex Young got another steal, but time expired before he could convert it.

For Gilman City, Camden Griffith had 24, Jace Estrada 16, Bo Eads 6, Alex Young 3, and Dakota Meringa 2.

Mason Preston had 4 blocks and Camden Griffith 3.

Camden Griffith had 13 boards to complete the double-double. Jace Estrada had 9, Mason Preston and Dakota Meringa 7, Alex Young 5, Bo Eads 4, and Jackson Alldredge 1.

Mason Preston had 7 assists. Alex Young, Camden Griffith, and Bo Eads had 2 while Jace Estrada and Dakota Meringa had 1 each.

Mason Preston had 2 tips. Camden Griffith, Alex Young, and Dakota Meringa had 1. Mason Preston and Alex Young had 2 steals. Camden Griffith and Dakota Meringa had 1. 

For Pattonsburg, Brandon Heath had 23. Gavin Humphrey had 19, Drake Sperry 7, Reagan Coin 4, Aden Woodward 4, and Collin Mason 1.

Gavin Humphrey had 1 block.

Reagan Coin had 10 boards. Collin Mason had 7, Drake Sperry 6, Aden Woodward 5, Brandon Heath 4, and Gavin Humphrey 4. 

Reagan Coin had 6 assists. Brandon Heath had 4, Aden Woodward 3, and Drake Sperry and Collin Mason 1.

Brandon Heath had 6 tips. Gavin Humphrey had 5, Reagan Coin 2, and Drake Sperry, Jeremy Pittsenbarger, and Collin Mason 1.

Brandon Heath had 4 steals. Reagan Coin had 3 and Jeremy Pittsenbarger, Gavin Humphrey, and Aden Woodward had 1.