The Nederland Panthers have not had quite the year their fans were hoping for to this point, but back-to-back wins may be a sign of good things to come. They managed a 50-46 win over Cripple Creek-Victor on Thursday. For Nederland, this counts as revenge for the 62-28 loss Cripple Creek-Victor walked away with the last time they faced one another back in January.
Nederland's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Rick Fortunato, who scored 20 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Fortunato has scored all season. Gavin Dillon was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with five rebounds.
When it comes to explaining why Cripple Creek-Victor lost, one person who can't be blamed is Damian Reyes. Despite the final result, he scored 21 points. Another player making a difference was Myles Durham, who scored nine points.
Nederland's victory bumped their record up to 5-9. As for Cripple Creek-Victor, they are on a four-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 5-11.
Nederland will head out on the road to face off against Golden View Classical Academy at 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Hopefully Golden View Classical Academy focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 on Friday. As for Cripple Creek-Victor, they will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against Elbert at 6:00 p.m. Elbert is coming into the contest with three straight wins on the road, so Cripple Creek-Victor is out to stop a squad with plenty of momentum.
