The Panthers hosted their annual “Panther Winter Classic” over the weekend. Many teams form across the state visited to compete at Pinnacle High School and the BDAC at USUE.
The Panther were set to face the Salt Lake Academy Griffins in their opening game. The Griffins had taken the early lead after the first, 19-16. Pinnacle kept battling, ending the half even at 31 apiece.
The Griffins came out strong in the third, outscoring Pinnacle by seven points, in control going into the final quarter. The Panthers had a fantastic run, with the home crowd supporting and cheering with excitement. The Panthers pulled out the comeback win over Salt Lake Academy, 65-62.
Diego Contreras led the scoring for the Panthers with 16 points. Dominick Vigil followed with 14 points for his team. Brody Howell and Riley Davis finished the game in double digits with 11 each. Joey Howell had seven in the game and Bryson Shumway ended his night scoring five.
The Dugway Mustangs were next, with Pinnacle coming out of the gate strong, outscoring them 16-8 in the first quarter. Both teams struggled to fins the basket in the second quarter, bringing the score to 20-16, in favor of Pinnacle. The Panthers had a couple more successful quarters to close out the game with the win, 48-34.
Brody Howell ended the game with 14 points for his team, followed by Contreras (12), Joey Howell (10), Gavone Larsen (4), Vigil (3), Max Valdez (3) and Brevon Hyde (2).
Utah Military Camp Williams was next. Pinnacle came out strong in the first quarter again, scoring 19 points to the Marauders 8. The Marauders had a big third quarter, right back in the game as the final quarter began with a score of 41-35. The Marauders fought hard, but the Panthers kept their lead, securing the close win, 49-48.
Pinnacle would struggle in their final game against the Merit Preparatory Academy Knights. The Knights took a big early lead in the game, that continued to grow, ending with a score of 78-36. The Panthers ended the weekend with a solid 3-1 record.
They will be back at it with three straight home games, starting with the Wayne Badgers on Dec. 28. This will be followed by a game against the Piute Thunderbirds on Jan. 3, then the matchup with the Green River Pirates on Jan. 7.
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- Photos by Maxwell Misner
