INMAN, S.C. – After picking up a win at Woodruff to open the week, the Chesnee Eagles were on the road again, this time for their second showdown with the Chapman Panthers in less than a week.
It was a tightly contested matchup between the two sides from start to finish, but the host Panthers held off a late rally by the Eagles for a 69-63 victory. Chapman’s Daniel Johnson opened the scoring with a three pointer just over a minute into the game, but a Kaylob Blanton basket and Dawson Pruitt triple quickly made it a 5-3 lead for the Eagles. Johnson drained a three pointer on each of the Panthers' next three possessions and put Chapman ahead 12-5. Pruitt and Carson Williamson each knocked down a three, cutting the Chapman lead down to one point with two minutes left in the opening frame. With time winding down in the quarter, Ryan Hunter knocked down a three from the left corner and gave Chapman a 15-11 lead. In the third quarter, Daniel Wease drilled a long two pointer as the Eagles trimmed the Panther lead down to 35-32 at the 6:30 mark. With 30 seconds left in the frame, a Williamson two-pointer made it a 48-46 game and gave the Eagles a chance to tie or take the lead, but a pass from Mathai Scott to Shawn Cunningham for a layup with three seconds left made it a 50-46 score. During the final stanza, the Eagles pulled within one possession of the Panthers, 59-57, with 1:58 remaining in regulation, but a shot by Cunningham on the other end extended the Chapman advantage back out to four points at that juncture of the contest. Cunningham led all scorers with 20 points on the night, while three other Panthers – Colt McAllister (16 points), Daniel Johnson (15), and Ryan Hunter (12) – also finished in double figures. Blanton paced the Eagles with a team-high 17 points, followed by Dawson Pruitt and Daniel Wease with 11 and 10 points, respectively. GIRLS – Chapman 68, Chensee 27 A two pointer by Kara Twitty ignited a 16-0 run by the Lady Panthers in the first quarter against Chesnee. Clara Gramling and Krislyn Wilder each converted an old-fashioned three-point play, while Caroline Garner drained a triple, which helped Chapman build a 19 point lead after the frame. In the second quarter, baskets by Nykerria Proctor, Pearl Holloway, and Haley Edmonds for the Lady Eagles made it a four score game near halftime. The Lady Panthers used an 18-0 run in the second half to secure the victory and sweep the season series. “Hats off to Chesnee,” said Chapman head coach Leslie Boyd. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Byars. He does a great job of encouraging girls all the way around in the game of basketball. We knew Chesnee had a big win over Woodruff (on Monday) and we expected them to compete, which they did.” Gramling scored a game-high 21 points for Chapman, followed by Wilder (13), Garner (9), and Twitty (8). Holloway led the way for the Lady Eagles with 11 points, while Proctor finished with eight. “We want to see that energy roll,” Boyd said about the upcoming schedule over the holidays, which features a three-day tournament in Gatlinburg, Tennessee before Christmas. “Have fun and enjoy the moments (because) the games go by quickly. Now, we look up and we’re almost halfway through our season. We want to make sure that on every possession and every game, that we’re enjoying it, doing the little things well, and keeping to Chapman basketball.” On Wednesday, December 14th, the Panthers will travel to Cherokee County for a return match against Blacksburg High School, beginning with the women’s game at 6 PM. The boys’ game will follow at approximately 7:30 PM. The Eagles will next play on Thursday, December 15th at home against the East Rutherford Cavaliers. The women’s game will start at 6 PM, with the men’s game to follow at 7:30. -Justin Mathis Comments are closed.
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