Albany, NY – Friday night lights were shining on the newly redesigned home court for the women's basketball team as they took on their fellow USCAA foe, the Great Bay Herons. Despite a 20 point and 14 rebound effort from Dida Slusarek (Sarasota, FL), the Panthers fell short by a score of 57-41.
The Panthers knew this game was going to be another tough one as they battled with all five of their players. The first quarter saw some shooting woes, but the Panthers continued to shoot the ball from outside the paint, hoping some would start to fall. The second quarter saw just that, as the Panthers shooting percentage went up, and on top of Slusarek 4 points and 6 rebounds in the quarter, Anna Jensen (Valley Falls, NY) picked up 5 points herself, and 3 boards.
The second half saw Slusarek drop 10 points in the third, and Ejoraa Ninche (Selden, NY) grab 3 boards, while Jensen grabbed another 3 herself. Erica Scholl (Frankfort, NY) tried to lead the Panthers on the offensive end, finding her Slusarek multiple times to pick up 3 assists in the quarter. As for the fourth quarter Scholl heated up scoring 8 points, while the team overall grabbed 13 rebounds in the quarter alone, showing that their defense continued to force missed shots by the Herons. Emma Russell (Brushton, NY) also racked up 3 or her total 7 steals in the fourth quarter.
Although the Panthers once again only had five active players, they still played with heart. In addition to Slusrasek's double-double performance, the team combined for 18 steals (including 7 from Emma Russell) while Erica Scholl added 12 points and Anna Jensen blocked 4 shots.
Even though the Panthers forced 24 turnovers, but the Herons were able to force the Panthers to miss the transition baskets. The Panthers tough defense did keep the Herons under 35% shooting.
The injury-riddled Panthers will rest up this week before they had to Paul Smith's College to take on the Bobcats next Friday night 2/10 at 6 p.m.
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.
