Lady Panthers shut down Phillipsburg

Summer Crosby

The Lady Panthers started the New Year out right when they played Phillipsburg on Saturday, January 2 at Phillipsburg. They beat the Phillipsburg team by 10 points, winning 42 to 32. The game could have easily gone the other way. At halftime, the Lady Panthers were only ahead by a mere two points.

Coach Erik Johnson said that during the first half the girls were getting back into the groove after being off over Christmas break.

“I think during the first half they were trying to get the muscle memory back,” he said. “It was important for us to come back after halftime with enough energy and momentum. So often, we come out with flat feet.”

It was extremely important for the girls to come out strong in the second half to hold onto their lead. With their focus on staying strong and playing hard, the Lady Panthers didn’t come out with flat feet on Saturday night. Infact, they came out with hot feet. During the third quarter, the girls scored 16 points to Phillipsburg’s 8. Lindi Ishler made all six of her free throws and for the entirety of the game she scored 10 points out of 15 on free throws. The entire team averaged 16 free throw points out of 26.

“That’s better than we usually do if you can believe it,” Johnson said. “It’s still pretty bad, but it’s an improvement and that’s what we’re looking for. But the third quarter was a good quarter for us.”

Andy Clark had 9 rebounds for the team. Johnson said that the second half of the game was one of their better ones that they’ve played for the season. He said that the next couple of games though are going to be challenging.

“The next couple of weeks are going to be difficult,” he said. “We play Seeley on Thursday and they’re an undefeated team. We also play Hot Springs on Saturday and they’re also undefeated. We’re going to have to stay out of foul trouble, while being physical at the same time.”

The girls play Seeley on their home court in Alberton and travel away to face off against Hot Springs.