Monday, January 7

The Pittsburg Panthers avenged a loss to the Canaan Lady Eagles in the North Country Christmas Tournament championship Monday night in Pittsburg. After a slow start offensively, the Panthers came on strong in the second half to run away from the Lady Eagles late, winning by a score of 44-29. The Canaan offense could not keep pace, and fell victim to an energized Panther squad that played inspired basketball in front of their home crowd.

Canaan set the tone early with intense defensive pressure, allowing Pittsburg only 2 points in the first quarter. A pair of hoops from the Harris sisters, Danielle and Vicky, gave the Lady Eagles the early lead. The offense did not come easily for Canaan either, and the Panthers, despite their offensive struggles, trailed by only 5 after the first eight minutes, 7-2.

The Panthers controlled the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Eagles 11-5. Marrisa Burrill began the quarter with a 3-point play to cut her team's deficit to a single basket. The rest of the quarter would go back and forth, with several lead changes brought on by spotty free-throw shooting. The Panthers took their first lead of the game just before halftime on a Brooke Judd hoop, and carried a one-point advantage into halftime, 13-12.

The Lady Eagles came out flat in the third quarter, and the Panthers dominated, netting 22 points in the frame. Danielle Harris nailed a jumper early in the quarter to regain the lead, but that would be the last lead of the game for Canaan. Jensen Judd would take the lead back for the Panthers with a jumper, at which point Marrisa Burrill would take over. The Panthers, led by Burrill, would stage an 8-0 run to take a sizable lead. Another jumper from Harris finally stopped the bleeding for the Lady Eagles, who trailed by as many as 15 in the quarter. Another 3-point play from Burrill capped the Pittsburg scoring for the quarter, and the Panthers took a 35-24 lead into the final quarter.

The Lady Eagles tried to cut into the lead, but could not make up any significant ground. The Panthers were able to slow the pace and ice the game.

The 15-point defeat was the worst on the season for the Lady Eagles. The loss drops the Lady Eagles to 6-5 on the season.