Magnolia’s Panther Arena may not be sold out Tuesday night, but a huge crowd is expected when two long-time rivals square off for the conference lead.
The Panthers (10-3, 3-0) and Camden Fairview Cardinals (7-7, 3-0) will be seeking to taking over the top spot in the 4A Region 8 Conference.
“We played them over there in the tournament. We do know they are very athletic and hopefully they won’t shoot it as well as they did over there,” said Magnolia head coach Dyun Long. “I like our chances if we play sound defense like we are capable of playing.”
The Panthers will enter the contest on a four-game winning streak, while the Cardinals have won their last two.
The Panthers defeated Star City 43-30 Friday night, with three players scoring in double figures.
Kadyn Roach and Derrian Ford led the way with 11 apiece, while Colby Garland added 10.
The Bulldogs open the game with a pair of free throws, which was their only lead of the night.
The Panthers went on an 11-0 run and were up 13-3 with under two minutes left in the period.
Guided by Ford’s seven first-period points, the Panthers led 13-7.
The Bulldogs hung around in the second quarter, closing the gap to three, 15-12, before Derylen Williams scored to make it 17-12 at the half.
With a Garland 3-pointer, the Panthers led 27-19 midway through the third period, but were up 30-26 following a shot by Ford at the buzzer.
The Panthers pulled away during the final eight minutes, leading by 12 late and winning by 13.
“This Star City team scares me. They are athletic and very quick. We did a really good job defensively of keeping them in front of us,” said Long.
The 3-point shots for the Panthers were not falling during the first half and Long said that was something they talked about at half-time.
“I don’t mind them shooting the 3-pointer, but I told them our chances would be better by getting it inside near the rim,” he said.
Long said he’s seeing some growth in his team and from players who not trying to do more than what they are capable of doing.
“We are learning our roles more and getting better. We’re solid defensively. We’re finding out where we can score from and who can score. When we can do that every night, we will have a chance,” explained the coach.
He said Garland struggled a little the first half, but knocked down a couple of big shots in the second half.
“Kadyn and Ford got going around the basket, and things begin to happen,” he added.
A junior varsity boys’ game against Camden Fairview is set to tip off at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
4A Region 8 (boys)
Magnolia..............10-3, 3-0
Camden Fairview..7-7, 3-0
Monticello..............9-6, 2-2
Star City.................9-7, 2-3
Hamburg...............9-9, 1-2
Warren...................7-5, 1-2
Crossett.................6-8, 1-3
Lady Bulldogs 60,
Lady Panthers 40
The Lady Panthers (8-6, 2-1) will be looking to move back into a tie for first place Tuesday night when they host the league-leading Camden Fairview Lady Cardinals (14-3, 3-0).
“It’s a rivalry game. I tell the team the best remedy for a loss is a win,” said Lady Panthers’ head coach Donnell Ford.
The Lady Panthers suffered their first conference loss Friday 60-40 to a solid Star City team.
Magnolia got off to a rough start against Star City, not scoring a bucket until the game was nearly five minutes old.
The Lady Bulldogs raced out to a 9-0 advantage before Ashanti Humbert scored for Magnolia.
The Lady Panthers trailed 15-6 after the first break.
Star City built a 12-point lead midway through the second quarter and led 28-17 at half-time.
Magnolia stayed within striking distance in the third period, trailing by five with six seconds remaining.
The Lady Bulldogs hit a shot at the buzzer and led 39-32 after the third break.
Star City was simply too strong over the next eight minutes, building a 14-point lead late and then winning by 20.
“After winning our last two games, we had high expectations going into this one. But we started slow and really never got things going,” said Ford. “The thing is we knew what they were going to do and we just didn’t execute.”
Ford said his girls have been a resilient group.
“Whether they win or not, they are always going to work hard. When you do that, you give yourself a chance. At times, we were right there at the door tonight, but made mistakes. You can’t do that against a good team,” he explained.
The coach said the Lady Panthers need to start stronger, stay out of foul trouble and play more consistently.
“I think when they got us down 9-0, we lost our focus a little,” said Ford.
The Lady Panthers and Lady Cardinals will tip off around 6 p.m. Tuesday, following a junior varsity boys’ game that starts at 5 p.m.
4A Region 8 (girls)
Cam. Fairview.....14-3, 3-0
Star City..............15-3, 3-1
Warren..................7-3, 2-1
Magnolia...............8-6, 2-1
Monticello.............6-9, 1-4
Crossett..............10-6, 0-3
Hamburg............2-14, 0-2