Panther boys top Hornets, fall to Beavers in Homecoming game
by Desmond Davis and Nick Urness, student writers
January was a tumultuous month for the Gilmanton boys basketball team, handing the Panthers three losses by four points or less to bring them to 10-4 overall through last week’s games.
Two of those losses befell the Gilmanton boys over the past two weeks, as the Panthers dropped a 68-64 decision to Cochrane-Fountain City on Jan. 22 and took a painful 57-56 defeat at the hands of Augusta on Homecoming night this past Friday, Jan. 30.
The Panthers also traveled to Alma Center Lincoln on Tuesday, Jan. 27, rolling past the Hornets 58-38.
The boys had a slow start with a score of 14-13 in the Hornets’ favor at the end of the first quarter. The Hornets kept playing hard while the Panthers lacked defense and rebounding, resulting in a narrow five-point lead, 40-35, going into the final period. The Panthers hadn’t played a solid game to that point, but finally buckled down and made an 18-3 run in the fourth quarter to come out of the game with a 20-point victory.
Desmond Davis led the team with 13 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Devin Oesau’s 12 points, five assists and Damontae DeWitt’s nine points and seven rebounds.
Facing Augusta for the Panthers’ Homecoming game, the Beavers came out fired up and ready to play. The Beavers showed a lot of hustle throughout the game and out-rebounded the Panthers by 11.
The Panthers struggled to find any offensive balance and didn’t show much defensive intensity, putting the Gilmanton boys behind, 30-21, at the half.
The Panthers cut into the deficit by another two points in the third, fueled in part by multiple made shots from Oesau, who scored a game-high 33 points. Gilmanton grabbed the lead for a short time in the fourth, but a late Augusta 3-pointer made with five seconds left in the game to put the Beavers up by one would put a sad end to the Panthers’ Homecoming.
Nick Urness also contributed to Gilmanton’s box score with 12 points while Davis added seven.
The Panthers traveled to Mondovi for a non-conference game on Monday, Feb. 2, and will head to Eleva-Strum on Thursday, Feb. 5, for a key conference game to decide who will go ahead in the Small Dairyland standings.
Both the Panthers and the Cardinals are currently tied at 7-3.
