The Derby Panthers were the 55-48 winner over the Andover Central Jaguars when they last played one another back in December of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Derby fell to Andover Central 61-55. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
When it comes to explaining why Derby lost on Friday, one person who can't be blamed is Dallas Metzger. Despite the final result, he scored 21 points along with 5 rebounds. Metzger scored a full 38.2% of Derby's points, the second time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Jack Ulwelling, who scored 11 points.
Among those leading the charge was Jayden Brown, who scored 21 points. The matchup was his third in a row with at least ten points. Jace Jefferson was another key contributor, scoring 10 points along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals.
This is the second loss in a row for Derby and nudges their season record down to 0-2. As for Andover Central, their victory bumped their record up to 1-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Derby will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Arkansas City at 7:30 p.m. on December 12th. As for Andover Central, they will take on Andover at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Andover knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past three contests -- so hopefully Andover Central likes a good challenge.
