The Lady Panthers of South Iron had as good a week as a team can have, winning all three of their games. They hosted Fredericktown before traveling to Arkansas to play Marmaduke and Corning, and cleanly won all three games to improve to 7-1 on the season.
Head Coach Jimbo Blackwell‘s group kicked off the week on Monday by hosting the Blackcats, and promptly took them down 60-41. The Lady Panthers were on it from the jump in this one, taking a 13-9 lead after the first quarter. They didn’t stop there though, as they continued to pour it on in the next frame, winning it 15-9. That gave South Iron a double-digit lead, heading into the locker room with a 28-18 advantage.
The breather didn’t change a thing, as the Panthers came out gunning once again. They dropped 18 on Fredericktown and kept their opponents at bay, allowing just 10 points. That set up an exciting fourth quarter, featuring 14 points from the Panthers (thanks to eight from Madison Ayers) and 13 from the Blackcats. But trailing after every quarter always spells defeat, so Fredericktown was more or less doomed in this one. South Iron took them down 60-41.
Enzley Dinkins led the charge with 19 points and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the line, while Ayers was just behind with 18 and her three buckets from beyond the arc. Anna Parker had 12 points and a pair of threes in the game as well.
After that the Panthers traveled for their first of two on the road in Maynard, Arkansas to take on a new test in the form of a Marmaduke squad. They wasted no time in this one, going up 21-14 after the first quarter. And, as if leading by a touchdown wasn’t enough, they put up 17 against just five in the second to take a 38-19 lead into halftime.
The Lady Panthers had the hot hand offensively, but the defense was the key to victory in this one. Still, putting up a ridiculous 29 points in the third quarter certainly takes some pressure off of the D. Parker had an incredible frame with 16 points, and South Iron held Marmaduke to just six points for a 67-25 lead.
After that they pretty much coasted in the fourth quarter, with each team scoring 10 apiece, and the reserves got some valuable minutes. Ayers was paramount in this one, as she led all scorers with a whopping 27 points. She had some company though. Dinkins and Parker each had 17, as the Panthers lived in the paint in this one. Only two three-pointers were hit all game, but they drained buckets like they were going out of style.
The final game of the week before the girls could make the long journey home, came against another Arkansas foe in the form of Corning High School. This one would be even less dramatic than the last.
South Iron put up a shocking 31 points in the first quarter, thanks to nine apiece from Ayers and Parker. Corning, only possessing the ball for what seemed like a split second, managed just eight of their own. They followed up that offensive famine with just five in the second, while the Panthers added another 16 to essentially put this one to bed at the half.
The coaches chose mercy over a bloodbath and decided that a running clock for the second two quarters was the right way to go. South Iron put in the subs and the two teams didn’t do much after that. It was 57-32 after the third before almost no action in the fourth. The Panthers found themselves with a cakewalk victory on a very successful road trip to move to 7-1 on the season. The win was their fifth straight.
Ayers and Parker shared the team lead in this one with 15 points each, and both had a clutch first quarter three-pointer. Drew Gayle had 10 in the game and Dinkins had eight to round out the top scorers.
What a week and what a road trip for the Lady Panthers. They are rolling once again this season and look forward to next week where they will take on St. Paul Lutheran on Tuesday at home in their only game before the holiday break.
