Eric Gant...had 23 points against Winnetonka in the finals of the Grain Valley Eagles Sonic Showdown, but the Griffins prevailed 53-44. photo by Mary Edwards
Panthers take second at Grain Valley Tournament
by Kory Hales
Oak Grove boys basketball team advanced to the finals of the Grain Valley Eagles Sonic Showdown Saturday but fell to fourth seeded Winnetonka 53-44.
Second seeded Panthers led 23-12 after one quarter of play but scored only nine points in the second and a third.
Griffins took advantage of the drought to lead by one point heading to the fourth before gapping the Panthers over the final eight minutes.
"We really played well in the first quarter," head coach Tyler Hames commented. "We shot the ball well as a team. We made the extra pass. And we defended and executed the scouting report flawlessly. The problems started when we got in foul trouble. Then we didn't do a very good job of recognizing on the defensive end. We left a shooter open too many times, and you just can't over rotate. On the offensive end, we were just a little too panicky, and give Winnetonka credit, they really controlled the glass."
Griffins outrebounded the Panthers 30-22. They also outshot Oak Grove from the floor, 45.0% to 32.6%.
Eric Gant led the Panthers with 23 points, five boards and two steals. Jordan Douglas scored seven points and had a team-high seven rebounds. Cole Doherty had five points and two assists.
"We had a great week as a program," Hames said. "We won the Richmond Freshmen Tournament. We won two JV games, and we took second in this tournament." Read more in Focus on Oak Grove
Panthers pick up non-conference win
by Kory Hales
Oak Grove earned its fifth dual victory of the season January 24 with a 39-28 win over Rockhurst. Panthers picked up nine wins in the 14 matches.
Chase Wrisinger defeated Charlie Lipford by decision, 7-4, at 170 pounds.
Preston Airrington also won by decision at 182, defeating Thomas Peterson 6-3.
James Contreras pinned Joby Calvin in 1:09 at 195.
Panthers were open at 220, 285 and 106.
At 113 pounds, Drake Hoffman pinned Hayden Hoebing at the 1:50 mark.
Jake Best won by fall at 120. He pinned Ryan Loiacomo in 4:43.
Tyler Brown earned a 15-0 win by tech fall over Cody Kandt at 126 pounds.
Anthony Barker won a 5-1 decision over Evan Rainen at 132. Read more in Focus on Oak Grove.
Academic All-State...front, from left, Lexi Holtorf, Andrea Parker; back, Katie Carr, Samantha Minnick and Devin Braley were all named Academic All-State by the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Lady Panthers named Academic All-State
by Kory Hales
Five Lady Panthers were recently named Academic All-State by the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association. Devin Braley, Katie Carr and Lexi Holtorf were named to the First Team. Samantha Minnick and Andrea Parker made the Second Team.
Members of the First Team are required to be a varsity letter winner and have a 3.88-4.0 GPA. Second Teamers are required to be a varsity letter winner and have a GPA between 3.75-3.87.
Lady Panthers drop two at Grain Valley Tournament
by Kory Hales
Oak Grove Lady Panthers were eliminated from the Grain Valley Eagles Sonic Showdown in the consolation semifinals January 25 with a 42-27 loss to fifth seeded O'Hara.
Lady Celtics led by 11 points at halftime and maintained the gap in the second half to advance to the fifth place game.
"We had a difficult time matching up and stopping their two scorers," head coach Michael Cox said. "That was probably the most flat we have played all season. We struggled getting into our offense and then did not play with much emotion." Read more in Focus on Oak Grove.
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