Friday night had Continental High Boys Basketball travel to Paulding for non league action and the game could not have started out better for the Pirates. After a Paulding basket to open up the scoring Pirate Mitchell Coleman hit a 3 to give the Pirates the lead. The Panthers regained the early lead with a basket but the Pirates took the lead on a pair of baskets (one by Rhenn Armey and one by Bryce Recker) Pirates 7, Panthers 4. A pair Panther free throws was followed up with Andrew Hoeffel hitting a 3 to give the Pirates a 10-6 lead. The Panthers would go on an 8 point run (2 3s and a basket) to take a 14-10 lead. Pirate Gavin Huff would finish off the quarter scoring with a free throw. Panthers 14, Pirates 11 after 1.
The Pirates would open up the second quarter scoring with a Coleman basket to make it a 1 point game 14-13 Panthers. The teams traded baskets with the Pirates made by Huff to make it 16-15 Panthers. The Panthers would score nine of the next 10 points to take a 25-16. A Huff free throw was the only Pirate offense during that run. The run would stop when Huff would make a basket to make it 25-18 Panthers. The Panthers would add a basket and free to their total before half to make it 28-18 Panthers at half.
The Panthers would put in the first 4 points of the second half to extend their lead to 14, 32-18. The teams would trade baskets (3 each) for the remainder of the quarter with Coleman making 2 for the Pirates and Hoeffel adding one. Panthers 38, Pirates 24 after 3.
The Pirates Gannon Prowant would put in the first basket of the fourth quarter only to have if followed by a free throw and basket by the Panthers to make it a 15 point Panther advantage 41-26. The Pirates would slowly reduce that deficient the rest of the game. The Pirate rally started with a Armey basket followed by a Coleman basket to make it an 11 point game Panthers 41 Pirates 30. A Panther free throw was followed up by a Huff basket to make it 42-32. A Panther 3 moved the difference back to 13 but the Pirates would reduce it to 8 when Trevor Brecht would make a basket and it was followed up with a Coleman 3 Panthers 45, Pirates 37. The Pirates would have a number of opportunities to reduce the difference but could not get a basket to fall. In the meantime the Panthers would add 2 free throws to their total to make it 47- 37 Panthers. Hoeffel would end the Pirates cold spell with a 3 to pull the Pirates within 7 but that would be all the Pirate offense for the night as the Panthers would add one free throw to their total for a 48-40 Panther final.
Junior Mitchell Coleman led the Pirates with 14 points. Sophomores Gavin Huff and Andrew Hoeffel both put in 8. Freshman Rhenn Armey had 4, Junior Bryce Recker 1 and Senior Trevor Brecht 2. Coleman and Hoeffel both hit a pair of 3s for the Pirates while the Panthers also put in four 3-pointers. The Pirates were 2-4 from the line while the Panthers were 10-14 from the line.
Continental returns to action on Saturday night when they travel to Lima Temple Christian with a 5 pm JV start time. Paulding took the Junior Varsity game 45-25. The game was broadcast on 99.7 and WPAU.
–Mike Jones, Sportswriter
