The Panorama Panthers girls and boys basketball teams finished this season’s conference play Tuesday at Ogden High School after a busy two weeks on thee hardwood.
The Panther girls defeated Martensdale St. Mary’s Jan. 29 in Panora, extending their undefeated season to 18-0 and 12-0 in conference play.
“The team was confident and composed from tip off to the final buzzer,” said Coach Boettcher. “It was a great win.”
The number-two-ranked Panthers won 54-42, with Tyme Boettcher racking up 25 points and 16 rebounds.
Senior night was a success for the celebration and recognition of Boettcher and fellow seniors Jaidyn Sellers, Zoey Hambleton, Mia Waddle, Kaitlin Kent, Lindy Nelson and Manager Avery Bahrenfuss.
“Our Panther fans showed up in full force!” Coach Boettcher said. “It was an amazing atmosphere!”
The following night saw the Panther girls crush the Woodward-Granger Hawks 70-48 in conference play.
Jaidyn Sellers led the Panthers with a double-double, scoring 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Coach Boettcher said she was “really pleased to see the way we passed the ball.”
Feb. 2 brought the Panthers their first loss of the season, dropping a one-point heartbreaker to Des Moines Christian 41-40 in a conference championship matchup.
“Our girls played fearlessly but came up one point short to a strong DMC team,” Coach Boettcher said.
Tyme Boettcher led the Panthers with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. This was the fourth double-double for the senior standout on the season. Additional points, rebounds and assists came from Panthers Mia Waddle, Jaidyn Sellers and Morgan Crees.
It was a true battle as the Panthers fought tooth and nail to the end.
Coach Boettcher added, “The opportunities were there during the game, and that is what we want as coaches, the opportunity,” said Coach Boettcher
The Panthers played their final conference game Feb. 6 against Ogden, bringing home a 90-16 win.
Tyme Boettcher recorded her fifth double-double of the season, hitting 35 points and hauling in 13 rebounds.
“The team passed the ball well the entire night,” said Coach Boettcher. “I especially like that we can see our focus in practice coming into live game action.”
The Panthers overall record is 20-1 and 14-1 in the West Central Conference, and they are ranked number two in Class 2A. They received a bye in the first round of regional play and will face the winner of West Central Valley and Ogden contest Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Panora.
The Panther boys have also been busy over the last few weeks, staring with a Senior-Night win over the Martensdale St. Mary’s Blue Devils 90-64 and bringing their season record to 11-7.
Braylon Dawes led with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Ashton Stauffer added 20 points and 3 rebounds and Maddox Hammerstrom had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Brady Stauffer added 3 assists to the mix.
The Panthers will graduate five seniors: Dawes, Hammerstrom, Stauffer, Weston Ploeger and Brady Stauffer.
The Panther boys also outdistanced the Woodward-Granger Hawks at home on Jan. 30 with a 72-60 win.
Three Panthers dominated the arch: Dawes with 35 points, Hammerstrom with 15 points and A. J. Draper with 10.
Like the Panther girls, the Panther boys lost their Feb. 2 matchup with the Lions of Des Moines Christian, falling 86-71.
Dawes, Draper and Hammerstrom led the the Panthers, with Dawes leading in points, Draper with rebounds and Hammerstrom in assists. Other Panthers added points, rebounds and steals but could not overtake the tenacious DMC Lions.
The Panther boys wound up the season’s conference play Feb. 6 against the Ogden Bulldogs. Dawes led with 29 points, and Draper came out with a double-double, with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Trey Boettcher added 12 points, while Hammerstrom adding 9 rebounds and 9 assists.
The boys won 68-66 in overtime, bring their conference play to an end with a 13-8 record. The boys start their first-round regional play against Audubon in Panora on Monday.
