The Pekin girls basketball team snapped a four-game losing streak at exactly the right time, defeating WACO 51-43 in the first round of the Class 1A Region 6 Substate Tournament on Thursday, February 12th.
Pekin had to earn this victory. The Lady Panthers trailed 22-20 at halftime and found themselves down by six points in the third quarter before flipping the script in the fourth. Led by Abby Guise’s dominant final period, Pekin outscored WACO 19-7 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Game Breakdown
Pekin jumped out to an early 10-3 lead in the first quarter with four different players contributing. Abby Guise and Carlie Gambell made layups, while Maddy Petrehn and Ezra Parsons hit three-pointers. However, WACO cut the deficit to three at 13-10 by the end of the quarter.
The second quarter saw Pekin’s offense stall. After Anna Hadley scored her first points at the 5:53 mark and added another consecutive layup, the Lady Panthers managed only one more field goal—a layup by Guise with 2:41 remaining. They failed to score the rest of the quarter and trailed 22-20 at halftime.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Pekin fell behind by six at 28-22, fought back to tie it at 28-28, then trailed by six again at 34-28. WACO led 36-32 heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter belonged to Pekin. Guise took control, and the Lady Panthers opened with a 7-2 run to take a 39-38 lead with 5:10 remaining. WACO stayed close, but Pekin pulled away late, going up 48-42 with 1:16 left. The Lady Panthers saw their best offensive quarter of the night while WACO struggled to hit shots down the stretch.
Pekin Stats
Abby Guise led Pekin with 17 points (10 in the second half), nine rebounds, one assist, and three steals. Carlie Gambell added 11 points (nine in the second half), four rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Maddy Petrehn and Anna Hadley each contributed 10 points. Petrehn grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists, while Hadley pulled down five rebounds and recorded two steals. Ezra Parsons chipped in three points, one rebound, two assists, and two steals.
Also seeing action off the bench were Mya Glick, Addison Smith, Taylor Moore, and Kendra Schultz.
As a team, Pekin shot 18-of-50 from the field, 5-of-23 from three-point range, and 10-of-19 from the free-throw line. The Lady Panthers grabbed 24 rebounds, dished out seven assists, recorded 10 steals, committed 14 fouls, and turned the ball over just seven times.
Coach’s Comments
Pekin head coach Neil Hartz praised his team’s effort and execution.
“The girls played their hearts out tonight and stayed with the plan,” Hartz said. “Hitting some threes tonight were really big for us since they packed it in on Anna and Abby. WACO did play a 1-3-1 that we hadn’t seen from them before, but we adjusted pretty well to it. The guards did a great job handling their press and taking care of the ball. It took a while for Anna to find her way due to being double-teamed, but she took advantage of the opportunities when they were there, and Abby was Abby tonight.”
Hartz also acknowledged the home crowd’s support. “A huge shout-out to the packed student section and all the fans who showed up to support these girls.”
Series History and What’s Next
This marked the third meeting between the two teams this season, with Pekin sweeping the season series. The Lady Panthers won the first matchup on December 5th by a score of 53-47, then pulled away in the second meeting on January 13th with a 58-40 victory. With the stakes higher in substate play, Pekin completed the sweep.
Pekin improves to 11-11 on the season, while WACO finishes at 7-14.
The Lady Panthers now advance to face sixth-ranked Dunkerton, who sits at 19-2 on the season. The second-round matchup will be played on the Raiders’ home floor on Tuesday, February 17th. Ottumwa Radio will provide coverage of the game.
Photography courtesy of the Pekin Lady Panthers Basketball Facebook page.
