PINE PRAIRIE – It was an unbearable night if you were a Pine Prairie basketball fan, as the Panthers and the Lady Panthers each fell at the hands of Bolton High School Bears and Lady Bears in non-district match-ups Thursday night.
In the opening game, the Lady Panthers opened the game with a five point lead, but could not sustain it as the Lady Bears slid past for a 41-32 win. With the loss, Pine Prairie dropped to 15-4 overall.
The nightcap saw the Panthers rally in the second quarter after trailing by 11 only to fall to the Bears 55-47. Pine Prairie moves to 1-16 on the season with the loss.
Here is a re-cap of the two games played.
Bolton (G) vs.
Pine Prairie
The Lady Panthers wasted little time in getting out in front of the Lady Bears. Pine Prairie scored the first four points of the game and took a 7-2 lead at the five minute mark of the first quarter.
Bolton got back on track offensively, going on a 7-0 run over the next 1:18 to take the lead. The two teams continued to trade baskets for the remainder of the period, with the Lady Bears owning a 13-10 lead when the horn sounded.
Defense and turnovers were the name of the game in the second quarter, as each club amped up the pressure. With each basket made by the Lady Panthers, Bolton was there to answer. By the time the second quarter finished, the Lady Bears held a 21-17 lead over Pine Prairie.
The third quarter looked very similar to the second quarter, with both defenses ramping things up. The Lady Panthers got within one, 21-20, at the 5:14 mark of the period.
The teams exchanged three-pointers over the next 1:45. But, it was Bolton that was able to make the most of what little offense there was in the quarter, taking a 29-25 lead at the end of the period.
The game stayed within three points, 31-28, at the halfway point of the fourth quarter. However, the Lady Bears found some light offensively over the next two minutes of play, opening up a 36-28 lead with 1:54 to go in the game.
The Lady Panthers tried valiantly to get back into the contest, but could not find the shots needed down the stretch. Asia George led all Pine Prairie scorers with 11 points.
Bolton (B) vs.
Pine Prairie
It was not the start that the Panthers wanted to get off to offensively, as they found themselves down 12-1 after one quarter of play to the Bears.
The second quarter went a whole lot better for Pine Prairie. Behind Chase Freeman’s nine points, the Panthers were able to outpace Bolton 16-2 and take a three point lead into the locker room.
The third quarter proved to be the difference in the game, as the Bears rushed past Pine Prairie 20-11 in the period. The Panthers tried to make up ground in the final quarter with Cole Willis knocking down three shots from beyond the arc.
However, Bolton matched Pine Prairie point for point and finished the game with a 21-19 advantage.
Willis led the Panthers with 17 points, while Freeman knocked down 13 points in the loss.