Monday, December 10

Panthers Swipe Game from Eagles

After a nip-and-tuck, seesaw battle, the Canaan Eagles suffered their first loss of the season Monday night to the Pittsburg Panthers. The Panthers jumped out to an early lead, and never relinquished it. The Eagles, however, never trailed by more than six points. This game featured an exciting ending full of drama and controversy, with the Panthers squeaking out a four point victory, 49-45.

The Panthers burst out of the gates with to a quick 6-0 lead behind a pair of three pointers by Luke Merrill. The Eagles' offense was sluggish and complacent at times, settling for quick jump shots without much ball movement. Pittsburg could not capitalize, allowing the score to remain close.

Both offenses were ineffective in the second quarter. Shots were hard to come by, and quality shots even more so. In the final seconds of the half, Connor Daley launched a half-court shot that rimmed out, leaving the score in favor of Pittsburg 20-18.

The action and intensity would pick up on both sides in the second half. The Eagles were able to get the ball inside and create more open shots. No matter how close the Eagles got, the Panthers seemed to counter with a hoop of their own. The back and forth action was indicative of how this game would play out in the final quarter.

Physical play dominated the remainder of the game. Hard drives to the whole and arbitrary whistles caused both sides to become dissatisfied with the officials. The Panthers seemed prime to pull away, but Connor Daley put the Eagles on his back and kept them in the game single-handedly. Daley nailed three shots from long range on three consecutive possessions to cut the lead down to a single basket. Unfortunately for the Eagles, two points was as close as they would get. Hunter Judd came up with a huge three-pointer in the waning minutes to the Canaan comeback on ice. The Eagles had a few chances to tie the game late, but both Zack and Connor Daley were unable to hit shots from inside. Merrill converted the subsequent free throws, and the Panthers escaped with the win.