PANORA — January started cold for the Panorama boys basketball team as the Panthers fell to visiting Mt. Ayr, 76-65, Saturday, a day after suffering a 54-53 road loss at Ogden in WCAC play.
Mt. Ayr remained undefeated, at 7-0, with Saturday’s win while Panorama fell to 5-3 overall.
The Panthers held leads of 17-15 and of 31-28 after each of the first two quarters, but a third-quarter spurt pushed the Raiders into a 52-48 lead with eight minutes to play. A second consecutive 24-17 stanza gave Mt. Ayr a cushion down the stretch en route to the win.
Michael Allen led Panorama with 14 points, with Malachi Peasley and Kolby Shackelford adding 10 points apiece.
Dominic Walker and Brice Taylor had eight points apiece and Lucas Leiferman seven points, with four points from Evan Taylor and two each from Drew Taylor and Zach Rizzuti completing the scoring list.
Allen had five rebounds and Walker four for the hosts, with Peasley distributing eight assists.
While Panorama made 14 trips to the free throw line, sinking 11, Mt. Ayr visited the charity stripe 34 times, converting on 24 attempts, the starkest statistical difference and one that proved fatal to the home team.
Payton Weehler led all scorers with 28 points after making 4-of-7 3-pointers and 8-of-11 at the line.
Isaac Grose had 17 points and Jaixen Frost 10, with Dawson Frost scoring nine points, Dalton Elwood seven, Cayden Lambert three and Zach Doster two.
Panorama had a 42-40 lead after three quarters in Friday’s game against Ogden, but the Bulldogs were able to pull out the win in the waning moments.
Leiferman had a career-best 19 points to pace the Panthers, with Shackelford adding 16 points and Brice Taylor eight. Peasley had six points, with Walker and Drew Taylor each scoring two points.
Peasley had nine assists and Leiferman six rebounds, with Rizzuti pulling down nine caroms and making three assists.
Griffin Diggs posted a game-high 22 for Ogden, with Kaleb Badker scoring 14 points, Sam Christensen 11, Kolby Moorman five and Lane Snedden two.
Panorama plays a JV/varsity boys-only set at Woodward Academy Tuesday before joining the Panther girls for a trip to West Central Valley Friday.
