Panthers lose close game to Scobey; team ranked fourth in 3-C basketball

The Saco-Whitewater Panthers have doubled their 2013-2014 win total and have six wins this season after defeating the Nashua Porkies for the third time this season on Friday in Nashua. The Panthers also lost a close game to the Scobey Spartans on Saturday.

In their 40-34 win in Nashua, the teams were tied 19-19 at the half.

The Panthers would go on to outscore the Porkies 15-11 in the third quarter and 19-16 in the fourth.

The Panthers were led by Senior Jeret Warren who had 13 points in the win.

Layne Engel and Trace Simonson had 11 points a piece. Justin Funk had nine points. Chance Love had five points. Channing Mavencamp and Chris DePuydt had two points a piece.

In their 40-34 loss to the Scobey-Opheim Spartans, Chance Love led the Panthers, scoring 10 points.

Simonson added eight points to the effort. Funk had seven points. Warren had three points. Colter Lammerding and Engel had two points a piece.

The Panthers outscored Scobey in the first, second and fourth quarter, however a 13-2 differential was a major difference in the second.

Though the team had multiple tries to push the ball to score in the remaining minutes, poor shot selections and turnovers ultimately cost the team.

Still the outing was a more impressive loss than when the Panthers faced Scobey in early January, when Scobey decimated the Panthers 50-29.

The Panthers are looking sharper on defense and more focused than they were a season ago, however if their defense gets them into one and two possession scenarios, the offense will have to answer with excellence and precision.

The team will have one last test before the regular season ends.

That test will be against the Lustre Christian Lions. Though Saco-Whitewater defeated the Lions in an overtime game earlier this season and the Lions will be without their standout point guard Silas Xia, The Lions will certainly prove to be a tough opponent going into the post-season.

The game against the Lustre Christian Lions in this Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Lustre.