On Friday, March 6, the boys basketball team was defeated 77-69 by Warren Central. After a back and forth game, the Panthers fell just short in their sectional semifinal matchup. 

The Panthers were 12-9 in the regular season and had a conference record of 4-3. Last year the Panthers only won 7 total games and were 0-7 in the Metrpolitan Interscholastic Conference.

Among the Panthers’ MIC wins this year was a major upset win against the no. 1 ranked team in the state, Lawrence North on Jan. 24. The Panthers also beat Pike in a blowout win in front of a nearly sold out crowd on Feb. 14.

Next year the Panthers will have many returning varsity players, including starters Leland Walker, Theran Johnson and Jalen Clark. The Panthers are losing three seniors, but only one senior starter in Charlie Peterson.

Despite a relatively early sectional loss, the Panthers improved their record by five wins and won 4 more conference games than the 2018-2019 season. The boys basketball team will look to build off of this year’s success and will hope to capture their first sectional championship since 2017 next season.