Randolph Center, VT - Both basketball teams headed to Vermont to take on the Knights in a conference matchup in their first road games of the semester.
The women tipped off first at 1pm in a game that had a rocky start. The team shot a collective 2/15 from the field in the first quarter, but found themselves down by only three possessions. The second quarter was a little better as the team put up 10 points this time, but the Knights scored 16 of their own to secure a 30-17 halftime lead.
After the break, the Panthers finally started hitting shots as they even outscored the Knights in the quarter, led by Samantha Howland (Whitehall, NY) and Isabella Mancini (Galway, NY) who combined for 13 of the team's 21 points. In the fourth, the Panthers cut the lead back down to 7 points, but the Knights were able to pull away for good in the final minutes, winning the game by a score of 63-49. Howland finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 steals while Mancini would have ten points at the final buzzer.
The men tipped off shortly after the women's game finished and just like the women, the team had a rough start. They missed 13 of their first 15 shots and soon found themselves trailing by 15 points a little past the halfway mark of the first half. After a while, Brett Richards (Kinderhook, NY) started to percolate and finished the first half with 10 points and 7 rebounds to cut the Knights' lead down to 10.
Richards continued to ride his momentum to cut the lead all the way down to 4 points, but then the Panthers started to hurt themselves again by turning the ball over 13 times. Richards would finish with 21 points and 12 boards while Michael Leak (Delanson, NY) and Tristan Lisbony (Houston, TX) combined for 18 points. The Panthers would go on to lose 61-52.
The women's team will have a week of rest before their next game while the men will head to Syracuse tomorrow to play against SUNY ESF.
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.
