Despite not having one of their key teammates available to play, the Russellville Panthers played two close games in the Eagle Classic at the end of the fall semester. They won their opener by three and lost the second by five.
This was not a tournament, just a chance for each of the four teams to hone their skills before the meat of the season begins in January.
The event was played in Owensboro at Apollo High School.
The missing Panther was JaCoveon Temple-Dickerson, who was sick, according to Coach Trey Tinsley, who added a justified ‘unfortunately.’ JTD is averaging 10 points and 3 rebounds per game.
The win over Ballard Memorial marked the third time in two weeks that RHS had beaten a long-time football rival. The other two were Crittenden County and Trigg County.
The Panthers will take a 6-3 record into next week’s Roy’s Bar-B-Q/First Southern National Bank Classic.
Panthers 44, Ballard Memorial 41
Tinsley got a balanced attack from his team. Amarus Morrow and Dre Vanterpool each scored 10 points while eighth grader Darius Browder and Jamarion Gardner each scored 7. Labryan Nourse added 5, Jerius Coleman 4, and Immanuel Clayton 1.
Browder went 4 of 6 shooting from the field, including 1 of 2 from long range. Morrow hit a pair of three-pointers.
Vanderpool hit all three of his free throws with Nourse going 3 of 4 and Morrow 2 of 3.
Nourse pulled down 7 of the Panthers’ 28 rebounds with Coleman, Vanterpool, Garner and Morrow getting 4 each.
Ike Miller and Grayson Sparacio each scored 10 points for the Bombers.
Elizabethtown 59, Panthers 54
Only five Panthers scored in this one. Gardner hit 9 of 12 free throws on the way to 17 points. Nourse hit 6 of 8 from two-point range for 12 points. Vanterpool went 3 of 5 from short range and 1 of 2 from three-point land to score 10. Morrow hit 1 of 2 from long range and both of his free throws on the way to 9 points. Coleman added 6.
Nourse totaled 10 rebounds with Gardner grabbing 8 and Vanterpool 6.
Braxton Coleman, Browder and Clayton also played but didn’t shoot.
Ethan Shelton was the only double-figure scorer for Coach James Haire’s team with 15, but seven more players added points.