The Pine Ridge Panthers fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against the Father Lopez Green Wave on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Green Wave by a score of 73-71. Pine Ridge's loss continues an unfortunate trend for the squad, making it four in a row.
Despite the loss, Pine Ridge still got an impressive performance from Elijah Laird, who scored 29 points along with five assists and five rebounds. Laird is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last seven games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jyles Newman, who scored ten points along with six assists and two blocks.
Pine Ridge bumped their record down to 5-10 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road. That rough patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 70.7 points per game. As for Father Lopez, their victory bumped their record up to 11-5.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Pine Ridge won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against Crescent City at 7:30 p.m. on January 17th. As for Father Lopez, they will be playing in front of their home fans against University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. University has now lost nine straight, and the team is hunting for their first win since December 11.
