Photo Credit: Will Okun. Orange celebrates after winning the Eastern Guilford Christmas Tournament.[/caption]The Panthers took on second-seeded Hunt on Saturday, in an attempt to reach their first state championship game since 1969. The Panthers put up an incredible fight, but in the end, the Panthers took the L from the Warriors, falling by a final score of 66-60.
Orange kept it close early, closing the first quarter with only a 2-point deficit. The Panthers, almost all season, were not a very good second-half team, as they had scored more points in the first half in two-thirds of their previous 27 games. With this said, it was very important that the Panthers pounce on Hunt throughout the second quarter, reducing the deficit, if not leading, by halftime. That’s exactly what they did. With several pivotal defensive stops and good play inside, Orange regained the lead with less than two minutes to play in the half. They held the lead and even increased their margin, and lead by three at halftime.
Now it was the Warriors time to make a push. This push would be too much for the Panthers to eclipse. With an 11-point swing, Hunt regained the lead by nine at the end of the third. With one of the teams about to experience its final 10 minutes of the season, it was evident there was going to be a good fight to the end.
Orange started off strong, tightening the game to seven with a little over seven minutes to play. Then, it all started to fall apart for the Panthers. Hunt went on a 10-2 run in about 3:30 remaining, and had a 15-point lead with less than four minutes to play. It was not looking good for Orange, but they put up an incredible run to cap off the game. The Panthers got it down to single digits, trailing by nine with 2:34 remaining. Then down to seven, then five, then a three pointer by senior forward Keegan Crabtree cuts it down to four with 51 seconds to play. Following the Warriors’ 10-2 run, the Panthers went on their own 15-4 run. The Panthers were not able to complete the improbable comeback however, as they eventually were defeated by the East Regional Champion, Hunt, 66-60.
The Varsity and Junior Varsity basketball teams truly had incredible seasons, with their combined record finishing at 46-7. Varsity came within one win of competing for their first state championship since five years after the school’s inception in 1964, and the Panthers received several mid- and post-season awards. Orange won the Eastern Guilford Christmas Tournament in late December, and Coach Greg Motley and senior Keegan Crabtree won the Big Eight Conference Coach and Player of the Year Awards, respectively.
Next season, the Panthers will be without two of this year’s starters, but will leave a very talented core in starting guards Jawan Chambers, Eryk Brandon-Dean, and Tay Jones. You can expect forwards Garrett Cloer (who missed all of this season with a torn PCL) and Jace Jordan-Cornell to take seniors Crabtree and JD Brooks’ spots. We look forward to the Mighty Panthers taking the floor for the 2014-2015 Varsity and JV basketball season.
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