Albany, NY - The Panthers on Wednesday night took on their next door neighbors in a battle of New Scotland Ave. This time hosted on at Sage College, the Panthers went in ready to take on the Gators in hopes of claiming victory. 

Deemed by many students as an exciting team to watch so far, the Panthers were looking to carry some early season success into their match up against the Gators. Knowing it was against a school that is within walking distance of ACPHS, they were determined to go in and take the win. The first half saw the Panthers strong defense continue as they were able to force the Gators into eleven turnovers. The Panthers got five steals on those turnovers, and also put together two blocks in the half. The Panthers facilitating was also a big factor in the game as they totaled 7 assists in the first half. Jalon Muñoz (Helotes, TX) led the passing for the Panthers with 3 asissts. Although their shooting from the three point wasn't there, their strong play inside the arc and on the defensive end had them looking at just a five point deficit at the half. 

The second half saw the Panthers go back and forth with the Gators to start, and even take the lead for a bit after some free throws. However, after they took that lead, the Gators went back up and never looked back. The Panthers could not jump into the lead again, even though they had a better shooting percentage in the second half. The strong defensive efforts by the Panthers kept them in the game totaling six more steals in the second half, and five blocks. Four of those blocks came at the hand of Brett Richards (Kinderhook, NY) who finished with five total, tying him for third for most in a game. Richards also led the Panthers with 20 points on the game as well as 8 rebounds. The Panthers had some late game efforts that tried to kept cutting the lead in the final seconds. Two late threes by Clarence Claiborne Jr. (Petersburg, VA) and Myles Washington (Washington, D.C.) put the Panthers down by three twenty five seconds to go and then two with ten seconds to go. The Panthers would end up losing by four after the Gators hit free throws in the final seconds to secure the win. Washington was the second leading scorer for the Panthers in his last second attempts. He finished with 12 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals on the game for the Panthers. 

Other Panther Statlines:
Clarence Claiborne Jr. - 8 points, 3 steals
Abe Pogue (Oradell, NJ) - 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Jalon Muñoz - 5 points, 4 assists, 2 steals
Alex Carillo (Akron, OH) - 5 points, 3 steals, 5 rebounds

The Panthers will have a couple days to prepare themselves for the weekend as they play back to back games. First game on the list is Landmark College on Saturday at home starting at 2pm.

How to follow the Panthers: For the latest information on ACPHS athletics, visit acphspanthers.com or check out the ACPHS athletics social media platforms on Instagram @ACPHSPanthers or Twitter @ACPHSAthletics.