The West Panthers have been a dominant force so far, but they're in the middle of a mini-slump at the moment. They had to suffer through a rough 54-22 loss at the hands of Coeur d'Alene. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points West has scored all season.
Despite the defeat, West saw an underclassman step up: Kylee Falatea dropped a double-double on 13 points and ten rebounds. Falatea hasn't dropped below two steals for six straight games. Another player making a difference was Sia Hall, who scored five points along with nine rebounds.
Even though they lost, West were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 27 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Coeur d'Alene only pulled down 13 offensive rebounds.
Coeur d'Alene's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Taicia Lopez, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. Those 14 points set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Kelsey Caroll, who scored ten points along with eight rebounds.
West's loss dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Coeur d'Alene, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. West will get a bit of extra time to process the loss as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Olympus at 7:00 p.m. on January 5, 2024. Coeur d'Alene will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on University at 3:00 p.m. on January 6, 2024.
