Panthers battle in regional nail-biter

Feb. 17—ROFF — It would come down to the game's final minutes.

Pittsburg faced off against Tupelo in the regional consolation second round, where the Panthers fell 45-42 in a nail-biting battle on Friday.

The Panthers played a patient game to start the matchup, with Matthew Rice opening scoring with a driving bucket. Parker Horton next added three more points, followed by another basket from Rice to make it an 8-5 Pittsburg lead after the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Horton drove the baseline and floated in a shot, followed by a swishing triple from Rice the next trip down the floor. That set off a back-and-forth between the two teams for much of the period, until Tupelo rattled off a 9-2 run to end the second and trim the Pittsburg lead to 19-18 at the half.

After the break, the Tigers nabbed five quick points, but the Panthers answered to make it a one-point deficit. Rice next drained a triple from the top of the key, giving Pittsburg the lead once again. Horton added a pair of foul shots as the Panthers pushed further out in front.

Pittsburg continued its scoring run, using buckets from Garrett Wood and Landon Patterson to take a 34-29 lead into the final period.

Patterson kept it going for the Panthers with a quick score to open the fourth, but Tupelo answered with six-straight points to cut the Pittsburg lead down to one midway through the quarter. After a scoreless defensive stretch, the Tigers used a fast-break opportunity for a lay-in and the one-point lead.

That set off a scoring run for the Tigers, taking a five-point lead as a timeout was called with 60 seconds remaining in the game.

Horton was fouled the next time down the floor, leading to a one-and-one opportunity. He hit both free throws to cut the lead to three as Pittsburg called another timeout with 47.8 seconds on the clock.

On the other side of the break, Pittsburg employed a full-court press and would be forced to foul to stop the clock. The Tigers missed their one-and-one shot, with the Panthers securing the board. Rice then drove the right side of the lane, laying the ball off the glass and in to trim the lead to one.

Pittsburg next fouled once again with 14.9 seconds to play. Both Tiger free throws would be made, making the score a 43-40 Tupelo lead. The Tigers stole the inbound play, with the Panthers quickly fouling once again.

Tupelo made the next two foul shots, securing away the win.

Rice led the way for Pittsburg with 19 points, followed by Horton with 12 points, Patterson with seven points, and Wood with two points.

The Panthers finish the season with a 15-12 record, a district championship, and a regional tournament apprearance.

Here are the complete regional tournament brackets for local Class A-B boys teams. These brackets will be updated as scores are reported:

CLASS A

AREA III

REGIONAL A-B AT KONAWA/QUINTON

FEB. 16

AT KONAWA

G3: Konawa 56, Webbers Falls 45

G1: Riverfield 68, Riverside 57

AT QUINTON

G4: Arkoma 70, Crowder 67 (2OT)

G2: Allen 67, Cave Springs 24

FEB. 17 AT STRINGTOWN

G5: Cave Springs 55, Konawa 47

G6: Arkoma vs. Riverside, 7:30 p.m.

FEB. 18 AT STRINGTOWN

G7: Cave Springs vs. Winner G6, 3 p.m. (Winner advances to area)

G8: Riverfield vs. Allen, 7:30 p.m. (Both advance to area)

CLASS B

AREA III

REGIONAL A-B AT KIOWA/ROFF

FEB. 16

AT KIOWA

G3: Tupelo 72, Maud 52

G1: Earlsboro 61, Kiowa 41

AT ROFF

G4: Ft. Towson 46, Mill Creek 23

G2: Roff 66, Pittsburg 23

FEB. 17 AT ROFF

G5: Tupelo 45, Pittsburg 42

G6: Ft. Towson vs. Kiowa, 7:30 p.m.

FEB. 18 AT ROFF

G7: Tupelo vs. Winner G6, 3 p.m. (Winner advances to area)

G8: Earlsboro vs. Roff, 7:30 p.m. (Both advance to area)

AREA IV

REGIONAL C-D AT MOSS/STRINGTOWN

FEB. 16

AT MOSS

G3: McCurtain 58, Calvin 29

G1: Moss 45, Stuart 43

AT STRINGTOWN

G4: Clayton 49, Whitesboro 42

G2: Stringtown 67, Battiest 60

FEB. 17 AT STRINGTOWN

G5: McCurtain 78, Battiest 65

G6: Clayton vs. Stuart, 7:30 p.m.

FEB. 18 AT STRINGTOWN

G7: McCurtain vs. Winner G6, 3 p.m. (Winner advances to area)

G8: Moss vs. Stringtown, 7:30 p.m. (Both advance to area)