Don Kuhnen, AP Sports
The EP Panther basketball team travelled to Sterling Newman for an odd Wednesday night game and were trapped by the home team 65-39. Newman’s vaunted 1-3-1 half court zone caused havoc to EP during a disastrous first quarter and the Panthers weren’t able to recover.
Newman came into the contest with a 13-12 record and scored on a 3-point shot after getting 4 offensive rebounds on their first possession. The Panthers first score came on an assist from Connor Keegan to Gus Schultz who connected on a layup with 3:10 left in the opening quarter and the score 7-2. A Keegan Winckler 3-pointer was the only other score for EP in the opening period that saw 9 Panther turnovers and only 4 shot attempts. The score was 18-5 after the first 8 minutes.
An odd occurrence was their were no fouls on either team in the opening quarter which helped the Newman pressure. Sophomore big man John Rowzee had 10 points for the hosts in that quarter. Two baskets by Schultz kept the Panthers in the contest early in the second at 23-9 with 5 minutes left before halftime. Consecutive 3-point shots from Keegan late in the quarter were the only highlights for EP as they trailed 30-16 at the intermission.
An old fashion 3 point play by Schultz to start the third and a Keegan 3 made it 31-22 with 6 minutes left in the third but it was all downhill from there. The third quarter ended 48-28 Newman.
In the final period the hosts had target practice from 3-point land and converted 4 in a row including 2 from Rowzee as they opened a 60-37 lead with 3:10 remaining when both coaches substituted freely.
Keegan had 14 and Schultz joined him in double figures with 13.
The Panthers fall to 6-15 on the season. After a trip this Friday to Spring Valley Hall, the Panthers get a chance for revenge as they host Newman Friday February 7 in Erie.
