Excitement filled the stands as the student bodies from both Ray-Pec and Belton cheered in hopes of pushing their team to victory on Friday, Jan. 9. The long time rivalry between the schools helped fuel the fire on both sides, as chants shook the bleachers and cheers echoed off the gym walls. Every minute of game was filled with excitement as the clock counted down to zero on one of the most exciting games of the year.

The first quarter started out as an “uh-oh” quarter for Ray-Pec fans. With the turnover of possessions around every corner, and Ray-Pec unable to secure any rebounds, the game was not looking good. Ther Belton offense came out strong and was able to run over Ray-Pec’s defense at the beginning of the game, and ended up finishing the first period on top, the score being 13-11. Belton took the advantage of various holes under the basket to drive to the middle and put up easy layups, whereas Ray-Pec was relying on three point and two point shots that were away from the middle. Belton did an excellent job at crashing the net on rebounds, and closing up the middle when Ray-Pec would get close to scoring.

When the second quarter rolled around, Ray-Pec started coming together. Senior Ben Harris and junior James Sappington started to squeeze the holes in the middle, cutting off Belton’s supply line to baskets. Senior Jason Chambers and junior Cole Kruse worked together to score the tying point, making the score 15-15 in the middle of the quarter. Personal fouls by Belton especially helped grab Ray-Pec more points to tack on, and ultimately lost Belton the game. At the end of the second period, everything about Ray-Pec’s play had improved exponentially, and gave them the lead, making the score 20-18.

At the beginning of the third period, fouls were counting up for Belton, as within a few seconds, Sappington had already drawn another two points from a foul. The offense, after warming up in the first half, had started working like a well oiled machine, and every component of the team was working as one. Whereas earlier in the game passing was not up to par, and Belton was receiving more rebounds, Ray-Pec turned the tide and began improving their passing, shooting, and rebounding. Having more time with the ball, Ray-Pec was able to draw the score up to 33-23, with Chambers and junior Nate Jansen being the lead offensive players. Passes from Kruse had also helped bring the ball down the court for the Panthers, leading to multiple assists and a more cushioned lead.

As the fourth quarter rolled around, Ray-Pec had both offense and defense at their peak performance. Harris and Baylee Custer both drew essential fouls that lead to a 41-31 lead for Ray-Pec. Belton, with fouls coming more often than wanted, was seeing the game literally leave their grasp. However, toward the end of the quarter, it seemed that players on the Ray-Pec team saw the game as a win with 5 minutes left in the game. This turned out to bite them in the rear, as fouls soon started working in favor of Belton. By the time two minutes had passed, the score was a narrow 45-43, with Ray-Pec still in the lead. Fortunately, Harris had drawn two more fouls, and gave Ray-Pec a small amount of insurance, making the score 49-45. With only seconds left in the game, Ray-Pec had their score being chased by Belton, with the score being 54-52. A turnover by Ray-Pec nearly lost the game, but was thankfully called a foul, and awarded the Panthers with two free throws. With 6 seconds left in the game, the Panthers held their narrow lead by triangle passing, and won the game 56-54.

Filled with high enthusiasm from the crowd and the players, the Panther-Pirate game was one to remember for the Panther fans; coming back from behind and staying strong enough to hold a close lead, the Ray-Pec Panthers played the game of the year and came out on top.