The Gold Beach Panther boys basketball team, sitting on a league record of 15-0 and looking to finish their regular season with an unblemished record, hosted East Linn Christian Academy, who was also sitting on an equally impressive record of 14-1, Friday night with both teams positioning themselves in league standings for the upcoming play-offs on their way into post-season play.
If the East Linn Eagles gameplan coming into Friday nights game was to hold Gold Beach senior point guard Gianni Altman under his point scoring average and challenge the rest of the Panther team to beat them, then their gameplan worked, bust just barely.
In the opening minutes of the game, East Linn attacked over the top, forcing the ball into the low key for an easy basket and then coming down in their next possession went inside first then hit the open three point shooter to take an early 0-5 lead to start the game. But the Panthers would quickly learn that #5, senior point guard Gianni Altman, would not see open court ahead of him through out the game as the Eagles picked him in the back court and shadowed him through their 2-3 zone/man defense, refusing to allow him open looks at the basket.
What East Linn did not plan on was their inability to stop junior guard, #13, Jake Westerman, who not only picked up the offense as Altman found his game, but put on the uniform of a power forward underneath basket and powered his way to three baskets and 6 points in the first quarter of play. The Panthers fought their way back to trail 8-10 at the mid way point of the first quarter as Altman was fouled hitting a 3 pointer and had 6 points of his own in the quarter, taking their first lead with 1:34 left in the period, only to trail 18-19 after the first.
The Panthers controlled the boards in the first half, boxing out the Eagle front line and establishing position in the key. This allowed the Panthers offense to find its rhythm, running off of turnovers as Altman and Westerman continued to push into the Eagle defense for points. Senior guard Dylan Middleton, #12, hit for 4 points in the period as the Panthers spread the ball around off of penetration, and 5 different Panther shooters scored in the period. Defensively the Panthers pressed the Eagles up the court, which forced bad passes and Eagle turnovers in the second as the Panthers took a 38-30 lead into the locker room at the half.
With the Panthers controlling the boards, the Eagles came out in the third driving into the paint looking for fouls, and dumping the ball to the 3 point line when they didn’t get them. The Eagles 6′-4″ junior forward charged into the lane, getting to the line four times in the period, hitting for 8 points and putting junior forward, #1 Nelson Wilstead in foul trouble. But Altman returned the favor, going 3 for 3 from the line himself on his way to 8 points of his own in the period as the game got closer at 44-40 at the midway point of the third. The Panthers were outscored 18-20 in the third, but an Austin Westerman 3 pointer would help the Panthers hold on to a 56-50 lead going into the final period of play.
Going into the fourth with a 6 point lead, the Panthers maintained their lead deep into the period as Westerman continued to punish the Eagles inside, to lead Panther scorers in the period, putting up 6 points as the Panther led by 8 with just 4:00 minutes left in the game. The Panthers Altman would again be fouled taking a shot from behind the three point line, hitting all three freethrows, giving the Panthers a 68-66 lead with just 2:00 minutes left to play.
But the Eagles never panicked, hitting two 3’s in the period and closing the gap to just 2 points with seconds on the clock. In the final seconds the Panthers chose not to foul on the inbound play, and the Eagles would drive to the basket, hit the lay-up, and get fouled, sending the shooter to the line with the opportunity to take the lead with less than 10 seconds on the clock. The final free throw would fall for the Eagles, and the desperation 3 from Altman would fall short as the buzzer sounded, giving the Eagles the 68-69 victory to end regular season play.
The Panthers will start post season play next Friday evening, February 17th.
