Albany, NY - The Panthers hosted the Word of Life Huskies on a night where the women's team honored their four seniors. 

Before the short ceremony, the senior-less men's team took on the Huskies at 5pm in a game dominated by our big men.  The game had a slow start as it was tied 10-10 halfway through the first half, but then Logan Yohe (Delmar, NY) started to percolate as he scored 8 points off the bench to help give the Panthers a three point lead at the break. 

In the second half, the Panthers began to pull away as our big men started to take over.  Brett Richards (Kinderhook, NY) scored 21 points on 9/10 shooting in the second half alone while Alex Carrillo (Akron, OH) added 11 points on 5/7 shooting. Freshman DJ Bridges (Hamsburg, PA) scored 7 of his 12 points in the second half while Clarence Claiborne, Jr would go on to finish the game with 7 points and 6 assists. The team shot a collective 58% from the field in the half to propel them to victory by a score of 74-59.  

Richards and Carrillo would finish with a combined 43 points on only four missed shots between them. After the game concluded, the women honored their seniors prior to tip.  Anna Jensen, Emily Luke, Izzy Mancini, and Dida Slusarek were all presented flowers and gifts by their coaches, teammates, friends, and families as each of them were recognized for their contribution to the team. 

After they were honored, the Panthers played a defensively dominating game. In the first quarter, they allowed only 2 points to the Huskies as they put up 13 themselves. The second quarter was more of the same as Samantha Howland would finish the half with 14 points, outsourcing the entire Huskies team who had only 6 at the break.  

In the third, the Huskies showed some more life, but this time it was Amanda Salisbury's (Johnsonville, NY) turn to shine as she scored 8 points in the quarter. In the fourth, every healthy Panther saw time on the court as Isabella Mancini (Galway, NY) would finish with 6 points and 4 steals on her senior night. Emily Luke added 3 rebounds and a steal on her senior night while Jensen and Slusarek supported the team from the bench. 

The Panthers would go on to win 48-24 as they move back into the win column on the season.  Both teams will head to Vermont on Saturday to take on conference rival Vermont State University Randolph. 

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 Instgram @ACPHSPanthers or X @ACPHSAthletics. 

Written by Angelo Oddo.