PANORA — It would be quite difficult to find a way to make the two WCAC basketball games played between Woodward-Granger and host Panorama any closer than they finished.
W-G (2-1, 1-0) claimed a 41-40 win in the girls game while the Panorama boys (1-0, 1-0) were 59-57 victors.
Freshman Finley Fitzgerald splashed three 3-pointers to help guide the W-G girls to victory by leading all scorers with 18 points, the last of which came on a free throw with no time remaining to deliver the win.
Panorama held a 7-1 lead after a low-scoring first quarter, with the hosts leading, 20-13, at the break. W-G clawed back to within 31-30 at the end of the third quarter before grabbing a 39-34 lead with three minutes to play.
The Panthers (0-1, 0-1) rallied to tie the game at 40-all in the final minute before Fitzgerald’s heroics stole the victory for the Hawks.
Emma Anderson had eight points, Katelyn Scharlau six, Mae Anderson four, Natalie Helbling and Darby Nixon two each and Quinn Kaufmann one to finish the Hawk scoring list. Scharlau pulled down seven rebounds, with Emma Anderson and Fitzgerald grabbing six boards apiece.
Payton Beckman had 12 points, four assists and four steals for the hosts, with Ella Waddle scoring 10 points while making five steals. Waddle hit three 3-pointers and Beckman two.
Shey Storesund had seven points, Angel Poldberg five, Anna Holloway four and Laci Rishel two to close out the Panther scoring. Poldberg had six rebounds and Rishel four.
Neither team shot particularly well in the nightcap, with Panorama making 8-of-26 treys and 15-of-30 at the foul line while W-G (1-1, 0-1) was 5-of-15 beyond the arc and 12-of-22 at the stripe.
The teams were tied at 25 at the half, with the Panthers opening a 41-37 lead after three quarters of play.
W-G had a chance to tie the game or take a lead with less than five seconds to play but was unable to convert as the hosts held on.
Zach Rizzutti had 23 points for the home team to lead all scorers, with Malachi Peasley hitting four 3-pointers as part of a 14-point outing. Kolby Shackelford had nine points, Michael Allen seven, Dominic Walker three, Evan Taylor two and Jared Wasson one.
Rizzuti had six boards, Allen five and four assists, and Peasley five assists.
Bryce Achenbach had 19 points, Pacey Moats 11 and Kaya Bowlsby and Keith Braunschweig 10 each for W-G. Four points from Alex Bice, two from Jack Grell and one from Reese Jamison finished the Hawk scoring sheet.
Bowlsby tallied five boards and three steals, with Achenbach snaring five caroms while Bice had three assists.
Panorama is at Pleasantville Monday and hosts Madrid Friday, with the Panther girls hosting Harlan Thursday in a rescheduled girls-only junior varsity/varsity set.
W-G will be at Earlham Tuesday before entertaining West Central Valley Friday.
