The Lady Panthers of South Iron are on some kind of run. This week they took down Bunker and MICDS handily, as the Panthers led in every single quarter of both games. The 78-39 win over the Eagles and the 68-37 victory over the Rams gave South Iron an 11-game win streak and upped their record to an incredibly impressive 13-1 on the season.
The Girls had to travel to Bunker on Tuesday, a notoriously tough place to play, but they didn’t miss a beat, jumping out to a 17-7 lead in the first quarter. And it was one they wouldn’t relinquish. Anna Parker paced the scoring with six points in the frame, and the Panthers were just getting started.
They dumped in another 17 on the Eagles in the second, as Madison Ayers really came alive with a big three and 11 points in the quarter. The Panther defense stood tall and held the Eagles to just nine. That gave them a 34-16 advantage at the half, and the most comfortable of leads.
Still, despite the first-half dominance, it’s as if they were just getting started. The Panthers used a couple of buckets and a twine-tickler from downtown from Parker to rack up another 20 points. Bunker broke through a bit with 14 of their own, but South Iron still had a commanding lead going into the final frame.
They didn’t let up in the fourth though. With their collective foot still firmly pressed on the pedal, the Panthers ripped off 24 more points in the period, thanks to some nifty outside shooting. Ayers had a pair of threes, while Drew Gayle and Parker each had one as well. The Eagles didn’t have an answer, and could muster just nine points, falling 78-39.
The Panthers hit eight three-pointers in this one, showing their overall skills from beyond the arc. Ayers was the leading scorer with 29 points and had three of those aforementioned treys. Gayle also had three and wound up with 10 points. Parker had a huge game with 22 points on six buckets, a pair of threes and a perfect 4-of-4 performance at the line. Enzley Dinkins was big as well with 15 points on five buckets and went 5-of-6 from the stripe.
Assistant Coach Jeff Ayers commented on the game, saying, “The tempo was right where we wanted because of our ball pressure. We executed in second half a little better, which gave us the separation we needed. We had four girls in double figures which always is a plus. Defense is our backbone and showed throughout this game.”
The Lady Panthers would take the momentum from that win, load it into a cannon and aim it at MICDS on Saturday. Back at home, South Iron gave their fans a treat with another impressive outside shooting display in this one. The girls hit 10 threes over the course of the game and it really forced the Rams onto their heels.
The Panthers struck hard in the first quarter with 25 points, including nine each from Dinkins and Parker, and four of those 10 three-pointers came in the first eight minutes. MICDS did manage 14 points in the frame, but South Iron pretty much had this one in the bag from the jump.
The second quarter was a much tamer affair, with the Panthers winning the eight-minute battle 11-7. It was a physical quarter though as South Iron spent a considerable amount of time at the line. Ayers hit a pair of free-throws, while Dinkins had five, giving the girls a 36-21 lead at the break.
After halftime the Panthers got back to business as usual, pouring in another 17 points while holding the Rams to just five, as the defense was seemingly impenetrable. Parker had another big quarter with eight points on a pair of threes and a bucket, and Ayers hit one from downtown as well, adding a two-point basket to boot. That made it 53-26 heading into the final eight minutes.
The Panthers didn’t let up, as they kept peppering the net from beyond the arc, and sunk a trio of treys to ice the game. They scored 15 more overall, and kept MICDS at bay once again with just 11. That was plenty to earn the 68-37 victory and give the ladies of Annapolis their 11th win in a row.
Dinkins was huge in this one, leading the way with 22 points and an impressive 7-of-10 performance from the line. Parker had 17, hitting four of the team’s 10 three-pointers, and Ayers was strong as well with 14 points and a pair of threes.
Coach Ayers spoke to the effort with, “Defensive pressure was the key to this game. I thought it was one of our best efforts on the defensive end. We only had 6 turnovers. One of our most complete games this season.”
The Panthers are just one hiccup removed from a perfect season, and it doesn’t look like anyone can play with them at this point. They will look to continue their dominance on Tuesday at Van Buren. Will we see a dozen straight Ws?
