With two of its key players (Peter Aiken (Pottersville, NY, North Warren) and Zach Bratek (Dewitt, NY, Jamesville-Dewitt)) facing foul trouble, the ACPHS men's basketball team was unable to maintain its strong start as the Panthers fell to Sage College by a score of 93-71 on Monday night.

The Panthers came out hot from the field as they connected on four early three-point baskets (three from Ben Sheppard (Clifton Springs, NY, Midlakes)), to take a 20-17 lead midway through the first half. As Sage began to increase the pressure on defense, the tides really turned when Aiken and Bratek both picked up their second fouls in the first half, and Sage went on a run to take a 45-33 lead into halftime.

In the second half, Sage, led by Derick Faragon (19 points), and Marcus Hunter (15 points), started to pull away. Sheppard led the Panthers with 19 points, while Bratek added 18 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Mickey Shrivastava (Westerly, RI, Westerly) and Kevin Wiley (Coxsackie, NY, Coxsackie) each scored 10 points for the Panthers.

After a break for Thanksgiving, ACPHS returns to action on Tuesday, November 30th as they host Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.