Pekin eighth-grade boys? basketball team concludes season

The Pekin eighth-grade boys? basketball team was often outnumbered but rarely outplayed this season.

The Panther roster featured just seven eighth-graders but battled to a promising 7-2 record in 2012.

The eighth-grade team was led by Ryan Swanson?s 16.9 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Second in both categories was Keaton Winn with 10 points and 6.9 boards per game. Starters in the backcourt were Brady Donovan (3 points and 3 steals per game) and Joel Swanson (6 points and 2 steals per game). Riley Fraise and Garret Bowermaster filled the small forward position for the Panthers and combined for 3 rebounds and 2 steals per contest. Seventh-graders Trever Northup and Ryan Millikin played part of the season to fill the roster, and together they combined for nearly 4 points per game off the bench.

Coaches were Lisa Crabtree and Jim Higdon.

?It was a very exciting year,? said Higdon. ?We got better as the season progressed, and the two games against Sigourney and the second game against Van Buren were a lot of fun to be involved with.?

In the first game against Sigourney, Pekin let a big lead slip away and lost by one point, while the rematch ended with a 38-33 Pekin victory. The second contest vs. Van Buren proved to be an even bigger turnaround, as the Panthers came from behind and won 39-36 in overtime after having lost to the Warriors at home by eight points.