Panama’s Jessica Lyon hits the game-tying three-pointer during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s Class D Far West Regional against Elba at Finger Lakes Community College. PJ photo by Matt Spielman
CANANDAIGUA — When Panama girls basketball started the season 0-10, no one imagined the Panthers would be a Section VI representative in the state tournament.
Well, that’s exactly what the Panthers were doing Saturday night at Finger Lakes Community College’s Putt Moore High School, facing Section V Elba for a spot in the New York State Athletic Association Class D Final Four.
This game started just like the Panthers season, not very promising.
However, after trailing largely by double digits all game, the Panthers found themselves within striking distance in the fourth quarter. With 4:27 left, freshman Jessica Lyon sank back-to-back 3-pointers to tie Panama with Elba at 43-43 in the Far West Regional.
Feeling the pressure, Elba’s Lydia Ross and Sydney Riley found another gear, combining for four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to regain the Lancers’ lead and the eventual 58-47 victory. Ross finished with a game-high 26 points, while Riley scored 16 for the Lancers.
“We definitely came out slow, we weren’t getting a lot of rebounds, our defense was a little slow,” Panama head coach Nicole Peterson said of the game. “Elba takes advantage of that, Riley and Ross are fantastic 3-point shooters. We came out at halftime, we came out with a fire under us. If we had that throughout the game, we would have had a different outcome.”
Lyon didn’t get its first shot until the fourth quarter, so junior Caitlin Horton and senior Kylie Morgan attacked the basket for 18 and 11 points, respectively.
“Kaitlin Horton is a fantastic player,” Peterson added. “Her ability to shoot the three-pointer but then come in and hit the low post. She has great defense, she’s always our No. 1 defender out there. It’s always good to have a versatile player and she’s definitely a key part of this team.”
“Kylie Morgan has been here for a long time,” Peterson continued of Morgan. “Her ability to catch the ball and read where the girl is, she can move left and right, she’s not a one-way girl. Glad to have her, sad to see her go.
Although it doesn’t show up in the scorebook as much, the driving force behind Panama’s offense that got the ball down the floor was sophomore Kiera Loberg. Filling the big shoes of 2023 Post-Journal/OBSERVER Player of the Year Mandy Brink, Loberg took over at point guard for the Panthers, and without her moving the ball, the rest of the offense couldn’t function.
“We started 0-10, had a rough start to the season,” Peterson said of his team. “We’re trying to find our new point guard, trying to find everybody else’s role. For these girls to overcome what they had to get to this point is just remarkable in itself. It’s pure work, nothing was given to us all season. I couldn’t be prouder of them, just to get to this point.”
Just as they caught up late in the season, the Panthers performed much better in the second half and even managed to tie the game with a clutch performance from the freshman.
“You could see it on her face, everything was kind of crazy for her,” Peterson said of Lyon. “She’s a great shooter, we only drafted her for the playoffs just to have her there. We threw her in there just for her size and for her to come out with those threes you saw on her face. That’s pretty cool for her.
This time, however, Panama waited too long to find its footing and Section V Elba took the Class D Far West Regional 58-47 to advance to the state final four. The Lancers will play Section II’s Northville in the state semifinals Saturday at noon at Hudson Valley Community College.
PANAMA (47)
Canes 0 0 0, CLyon 1 0 2, Morgan 3 5 11, Horton 7 3 18, Loberg 1 0 2, Markham 1 0 3, JLyon 4 0 11. Totals 17 8 47.
ELBA (58)
Riley 5 3 16, Bucek 1 0 2, Chat 2 1 5, Hall 0 0 0, Ognibene 2 4 8, Ross 9 3 26, Smith 0 1 1. Totals 19 12 58.
3-Point Goals – Horton, Markham, Jay Lyon 3, Riley 3, Ross 5.
Panama 5 12 15 15 — 47
Elba 13 14 13 18 — 58
