Despite still being on its winter break, both Panther basketball squads made the trip to Willows to participate in the Honkers’ round robin tournament where they squared off against Central Valley, Willows and Los Molinos in games on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3.
Maxwell’s girls tipped off first last Friday morning and suffered a 42-46 setback against Central Valley despite an 18-point effort from Ruby Herrera.
Miyah Reyes went for 13 points, Bethany Wilson chipped in with nine rebounds and five assists, while Karina Perez pulled down eight boards although it wasn’t enough to hold off the Falcons.
Nonetheless, the Panther girls bounced back later that afternoon to defeat the host Honkers by a score of 42-37.
Down seven after the first quarter, Maxwell’s girls ramped up the defense and held Willows to single digits in each of the remaining three quarters.
Reyes finished a rebound short of a double-double with 14 points and nine boards, Herrera logged nine points and nine rebounds, while Perez accounted for nine rebounds as well.
Rounding out play the following day, the Panthers outlasted Los Molinos 30-24 as Herrera led the way with 17 points and Reyes corralling nine boards.
Meanwhile, the Maxwell boys followed suit, falling in its first game to Central Valley, before prevailing over Willows and Los Molinos.
In the 36-49 loss to the Falcons, Vincent Orozco had a team-high 13 points, while Rosendo Salazar led the effort on the boards with seven.
Following up later that same day, the Panthers downed the Honkers as Tanner Vierra tossed in 17 points.
Macklin Kuska ended the contest with 13 points and seven rebounds, with Salazar, the team’s leading rebounder thus far, clearing away seven more.
In the finale, Maxwell earned the hard-fought 41-40 victory over the Bulldogs.
Vierra led the balanced attack with 11 points, while Kuska finished with seven rebounds and four steals.
This week, the Panther girls (7-7) had home games on Jan. 6 and 7 against Los Molinos and Paradise Adventist Academy respectively before hitting the road to play Live Oak on Jan.9.
Maxwell’s boys (8-4) looked to build on their two-game win streak when it faced PAA and Live Oak following the girls’ games.
