The Pekin Panthers overcame a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Wapello Arrows 42-36 on Tuesday night, December 2nd, improving to 2-0 on the young season after their opening victory over conference foe Winfield-Mt. Union.
Game Recap
The contest remained tight throughout, with both teams knotted at 9-9 after the first quarter. Wapello took a 19-14 lead into halftime and extended their advantage to 29-24 after three quarters. The Arrows pushed their lead to 31-24 early in the fourth quarter before Pekin mounted a dramatic comeback.
The Panthers closed the game on an 18-5 run over the final eight minutes to secure the victory.
The Fourth Quarter Comeback
Trailing 31-24, Pekin began their rally with a basket from Abby Guise to cut the deficit to 31-26. Addison Smith, coming off the bench, added two points to make it 31-28. After Wapello hit two free throws to extend their lead to 33-28, Smith nailed a three-pointer to pull Pekin within two at 33-31.
Following a Wapello free throw, Guise converted one of two free throws to make it 34-32. Anna Hadley then took over, scoring on a layup to tie the game at 34-34 and following with another layup to give Pekin their first lead of the quarter at 36-34.
With 1:19 remaining and Pekin clinging to a 36-35 advantage, Smith hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to 37-35. After Wapello made one of two free throws to cut it to 37-36, Guise hit one of two from the line. Hadley grabbed the offensive rebound on the miss, but her shot was off and Wapello secured possession.
However, Hadley came up with a steal and Pekin called timeout. After Guise missed, Hadley grabbed yet another offensive rebound and scored to put Pekin up 40-36 with 43 seconds left. Hadley then sealed the victory with another steal, taking it coast-to-coast for a layup that made it 42-36.
In the fourth-quarter comeback, Hadley led the charge with 8 points, while Smith contributed 6 points and Guise added 4 points.
Pekin Stats
Abby Guise and Anna Hadley each led Pekin with 11 points. Guise added a game-high 14 rebounds (seven offensive), five assists, and seven steals while shooting 4-of-8 from the field. Hadley contributed seven rebounds (four offensive), six steals, and one block, with eight of her 11 points coming in the decisive fourth quarter.
Maddy Petrehn scored six points with three rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Ezra Parsons added five points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Carlie Gambell finished with three points, one rebound, three assists, and three steals.
Off the bench, Addison Smith provided a spark with six points, one rebound, and two steals—all of her points coming in the crucial fourth quarter. Taylor Moore contributed 2 steals in the game.
Team Comparison
Both teams struggled from the free-throw line, with Pekin shooting 6-of-18 and Wapello converting 7-of-16. From the field, Pekin shot 16-of-42 compared to Wapello’s 13-of-38. The Panthers were 4-of-14 from three-point range while the Arrows went 3-of-11.
Pekin held a slight edge on the boards 28-26, while assists were even at 11-11. Both teams struggled with ball security, as Pekin committed 27 turnovers and Wapello had 24. However, Pekin’s defensive pressure was the difference, as the Panthers recorded 24 steals compared to Wapello’s 12.
The Panthers (2-0) will look to continue their winning start as they head over to Wayland to face WACO on Friday, December 5th.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DgyJi172L/
