It may have taken overtime to finish the job, but the Abbeville Panthers ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They came out on top against Ninety Six by a score of 66-54. Given Abbeville's advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 98th, while the Wildcats are ranked 275th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Damarcus Leach, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and 23 rebounds. It was the first time this season that he scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Altavious Patterson, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Abbeville pushed their record up to 10-4 with that win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.0 points per game. As for Ninety Six, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-15.
Abbeville will head out on the road to challenge the Rebels at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Ninety Six, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against the Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Saluda is coming into the contest on a three-game losing streak.
