Season ending?

PINE PRAIRIE -- A possible playoff berth was on the line here Thursday night, as the Pine Prairie Panthers took to the hardwood to host the Crowley Gents.
As of Wednesday, the Panthers came into the contest as the No. 35 ranked team in Class 3A, three spots away from a playoff appearance. So, a win against the Gents would go a long way to getting Pine Prairie into the post-season.
Unfortunately, the Panthers were not able to come away with the needed win, as they fell 10 points shy in an 83-73 loss to Crowley in the final game of the regular season.
Pine Prairie ends the year with an overall record of 13-14 and a district record of 5-9
Now, the Panthers must wait and see what their fate will be when the brackets are revealed on Monday. Pine Prairie’s playoff future will now rest in the hands of the other teams around the state.
The game started with a quick pace as Pine Prairie shot and scored within the first 30 seconds of play. Crowley immediately responded with a basket of their own, and so the game was off and running with both teams performing well initially.
The first quarter of play was controlled by the Panthers, until Crowley decided to change the pace. With a successful free throw and a basket scored at the end of the opening quarter, the Gents tied the game up at 12-12.
Unlike the first period, the second quarter began with the Gents putting up the first four points in the first minute of play. Pine Prairie, now down by four, decided to take quick action. With 5:28 left to play in the first half, the Panthers tie the game once more, 19-19.
The two teams continued to fight for the remaining minutes of the second quarter. Even with the valiant effort by the Panthers in the period, Crowley was still able to gain a four point advantage, 34-30, as the two teams headed into the locker room.
Once the teams took the court for the final half, the Gents once again started things off on a fast note landing a shot only 30 seconds into the third quarter. The Panthers would responded with a three-point play of their own.
Crowley knew that they had to do something, to break the course of a close game. The Gents hit hard and at starting at the 5:57 mark they took control of the game by going on an 11-0 run.
Finding themselves in a deep hole, Pine Prairie ramped up their play, but for the most part, found themselves unsuccessful in cutting down the Crowley advantage. By the time the horn sounded to end the period, the Gents held a 10 point lead, 58-48.
The final period was now the only chance that Pine Prairie had to recuperate from their previous mistakes. The Panthers scored right out of the box, but was unable to slow down the Gent offense.
As the clock approached the final four minutes of play, a harsh reality seemed to set in as the Panther deficit had increased to 13 points, 69-56. Despite the ongoing effort to cut into the Crowley lead, Pine Prairie just simply ran out of gas and could not complete the comeback attempt.