Basketball Recap: Kaden Gartner's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Park Rapids over Perham

If Park Rapids was feeling good fresh off their 78-56 takedown of New York Mills last Tuesday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Park Rapids Panthers took a hard 65-51 fall against the Perham Yellowjackets on Friday. The Panthers lost against the Yellowjackets in their previous head to head back in December of 2022, too, but the margin this time around was much closer than the 81-42 score last time.

Park Rapids' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Kaden Gartner, who posted 14 points and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Parker Hunter, who had eight points and five rebounds.

Park Rapids now has a losing record at 1-2. As for Perham, they now have a winning record of 2-1.

Park Rapids and Pelican Rapids will compete for holiday cheer at 7:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Pelican Rapids knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past four games -- so hopefully Park Rapids likes a good challenge. Perham will take on Staples-Motley in a holiday battle at at 7:45 p.m. on December 20th.