The Shields Panthers suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Saturday. They took a serious blow against Hillcrest, falling 81-45. While losing is never fun, Shields can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 251st, while Hillcrest is ranked 75th).
Shields lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Jalance Kimbrough, who scored 13 points along with two steals. Zhylan Quarles was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with two steals.
It was another big night for Robert Simpson, who dropped a double-double on 15 points and 12 rebounds for Hillcrest. Simpson hasn't dropped below two blocks for four straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Jermonte Stallworth, who scored 14 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.
Shields has not been sharp recently, as they've lost six of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-10 record this season. As for Hillcrest, they pushed their record up to 19-4 with that victory, which was their sixth straight at home.
Shields will head out on the road to challenge McKenzie at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The pair have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for McKenzie and five for Shields. As for Hillcrest, they will be playing at home against Escambia County at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Escambia County is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.
