The Shields Panthers were the 55-53 winner over the Hillcrest Jaguars when they last played one another back in December of 2022, but their luck changed this time around. Shields took a serious blow against Hillcrest on Thursday, falling 70-39. 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 277th, while Hillcrest is ranked 90th).
Despite the loss, Shields still got an impressive performance from Adrian Watts, who scored 9 points along with 6 rebounds. Cantangelo Hicks was another key contributor, scoring 10 points.
Shields' loss dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Hillcrest, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 5-3.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Shields won't have much time to rest: their next matchup is against T.R. Miller at 7:00 p.m. on December 1st. Hopefully T.R. Miller focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 19 on Tuesday. As for Hillcrest, they will head out on the road to face off against Escambia County at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
