The Chico Panthers's 24-8 record from last season is now well into the rear view mirror after another tough outing. They took a 48-41 hit to the loss column at the hands of Eaglecrest on Friday. While losing is never fun, Chico can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps's basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 287th in California, while Eaglecrest is ranked 18th in Colorado).
Several Panthers players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Taylee Clements, who scored 12 points along with 5 steals. The matchup was Clements' fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Corrina Stephens, who scored 4 points along with 15 rebounds.
Eaglecrest's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Shyann Farbes, who scored 10 points along with 8 rebounds and 6 steals. Amaia Jones was another key contributor, scoring 17 points.
Chico's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Eaglecrest, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-0.
Chico and Clovis West will face off at 11:30 a.m. on December 2nd without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Clovis West will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak. Eaglecrest will be staying on the road on Saturday to face off against Liberty at 10:00 a.m. on December 2nd.
