Monday, January 7

After playing two games down to the wire earlier in the season, it was expected that the Canaan Eagles and Pittsburg Panthers third and final meeting of the season would be close. The Panthers were able to once again snatch the victory away from the Eagles, taking this game by a score of 59-53 in overtime. The Eagles were up by as much as 11 in this game, but the Panthers were able to methodically chip away at the deficit and pull ahead in the extra period.

Canaan took control of the pace of the game early, as Connor Daley nailed a three-pointer on the Eagles' first possession. A balanced offensive attack and solid zone defense gave the Eagles the upper hand in the first quarter. Luke Merrill kept the Panthers within striking distance by hitting a pair of shots from long range, but his team still trailed after eight minutes, 13-10.

The Eagles widened the lead in the second quarter with a fullcourt press and the hot hand of Zack Daley. Zack hit several shots from midrange and in the paint, and the Eagles would take their largest lead of the game. The Panthers continued to struggled against the Canaan zone, and trailed by 9 at halftime, 27-18.

Pittsburg coach Richard Judd changed strategy during the break, and it paid off in the second half. The Panthers switched from a zone defense to a box-and-one on Zack Daley. Jason Charest came through with a pair of jumpers to keep the Panther defense honest, but the Eagles offense struggled to score consistently. As the quarter came to a close, it was apparent that this game was once again was going to be decided in the final minutes.

Both teams went to their hot hands in the fourth quarter. Merrill kept the Panthers comeback going with timely shooting and nifty passing. Every time the Panthers seemed to be swinging momentum in their favor, Zack would come through with a big shot. By the midway point of the quarter, the Panthers had drawn even with the Eagles. The lead changed sides several times in the final minutes, but the score ended up tied with only thirty seconds to play. The Eagles were able to take stall the clock down and call timeout with 9 seconds left in regulation. Out of the timeout, the ball was passed to Connor Daley, who proceeded to penetrate into the paint. As Connor elevated for the shot in traffic, he lost control of the ball. Pittsburg would gobble up the loose ball with 3 second on the clock. Merrill got off a decent look in the final seconds, but his shot was wide right, and the game headed to overtime tied at 45-45.

From the opening tap of overtime, it was clear the Pittsburg had a little more left in the tank. Zack Daley controlled the tip and directed it towards Charest. Merrill was able to pick Charest's pocket and then draw a foul to give the Panthers the early lead in overtime. The Eagles could not find quality shots on offense, and saw the Panthers take a quick 6-point advantage. Canaan would make one last run, getting to within two points on a Jeremy Schichtle layup, but Pittsburg executed and made their free throws down the stretch to put a stranglehold on the game.

The loss drop the Eagles record to .500 on the season at 4-4.