Panthers pounce on the Crusaders

MT. PLEASANT — The Mt. Pleasant Panther girls basketball team started slow on Monday, Jan. 10 against Holy Trinity Catholic, but eventually found its groove picking up a 43-28 victory over the Crusaders.

With the win, the Panthers have now won four of their last five.

“I think we’re doing a lot better at communicating throughout the game,” Mt. Pleasant’s Kenna Lamm said. “That has helped us a lot. It’s helps us move the ball and communicate on defense. Communication has really helped us.”

Mt. Pleasant allowed Holy Trinity to hang around early, ending the first tied at 10-10. The Panther’s struggled on the boards at numerous times throughout the contest, but it began when starting post Jadan Brumbaugh picked up her second foul in the early moments of the first.

“We didn’t box out real well,” Mt. Pleasant head coach Curt Watson said. “On one possessions I think we gave up six shots. We can’t allow that. We got to do a better job of boxing out and getting after it.”

The Panthers were able to turn it around and gain some momentum in the second, while holding the Crusaders scoreless in the quarter. Mt. Pleasant’s scoring leaders went to work. Andrea Lopreato scored the first five points and Lamm added five herself over the course of the quarter.

“Most nights, I will be the one to run the court,” Lamm said. “I’ll get a pass from Andrea and that’s where we get a lot of our layups.

After a 12-0 second quarter, the Panthers held a 22-10 lead at the break.

Mt. Pleasant continued to roll throughout the second half, never giving Holy Trinity breathing room. Lopreato led the Panther’s charge scoring 12 of their 21 second half points en route to a dominating stat line of 19 points, 16 rebounds and four assists. Holy Trinity scored 18 in the half.

Despite the win, the Panther’s had a devastating blow late in the fourth when star guard Tristian Shull, who made her first start since coming off an ankle injury, reinjured her ankle going up for a layup.

“I thought it was really good (Shull’s performance).” Watson said. “You could tell she was a little rusty to start with as the game went on the better I thought she got. She rolled the same ankle again. I would guess she’s going to be out for a little while. She such a great leader for us. She does everything really good for us. Shes hard to replace.”

Kenna Lamm rounded out the Panthers scoring with 12 points. Elsie Lange finished with six points and seven rebounds. Kate Schimmelpfennig, Tristian Shull, and Andi Scott all chipped in two.

Mt. Pleasant will return to action on Friday with a Southeast Conference bout against Fairfield.