Sheldon boys win at home

Sheldon's Micah Swanson shoots for two of his 19 points during Tuesday night's win over Montrose.

By Eric Wade

Daily Mail Sports Editor

SHELDON -- The season opener is always a game that brings with it lots of questions, even for the most seasoned veteran coaches. Such was certainly the case for Sheldon Panthers head coach Tyler Judd as his squad entered its season opener at home against the Blue Jays of Montrose Tuesday night.

The defending Golden Valley Vernon County champion Panthers have a strong core of returning players on this year's roster and looked, on paper, as if they should be poised to run the table again this year, but that didn't stop Judd from having his worries. Those worries, however, would be quickly eased, as everyone in attendance knew Tuesday's matchup was likely a meeting between the two best teams in the conference.

Though that kind of challenge could have been a significant cause for worry, the Panthers were unfazed and ultimately put down the Blue Jays by a final score of 59-43, in a game that wasn't nearly as close as the score implied.

As the contest began, it wasn't quite clear whether or not Judd's squad would be able to rise to the challenge as it ultimately did, since the Panthers opened the contest nearly ice cold on the offensive end of the floor. The Panthers began the game missing their first eight shots from the field and ultimately fell into an early, 6-0 hole.

That opening run ended quickly, however, as the Panthers' offense came to life and Sheldon went on to outscore Montrose, 11-4, through the remainder of the quarter to take an 11-10 lead at the midway point of the opening half. That lead ultimately grew more and more as the minutest wore on before the Panthers rode a 25-6 second quarter into the locker room, taking a 20-point lead at the break.

The Panthers extended that lead to as much as 27 in the second half before Judd began to empty his bench. That allowed head coach Kevin LaSalle's Blue Jays to close the gap in the fourth quarter, but the rally fell short as the Panthers held on to take the 16-point victory.

Despite the cold start on offense, the Panthers finished the night 26-for-55 from the field. Things didn't go nearly as well from the free-throw line as the Panthers squandered an opportunity to expand their advantage even more, making just five of their 20 shots.

Three Panthers finished the night in double figures, led by Micah Swanson with 19 points. Corey Baney wasn't far behind as he finished the night with 16 and Reed Worsley had 14.

The Panthers' junior varsity squad was in action on the night as well, and took their contest by a final score of 41-29, over Montrose.

With the win, the Panthers began the season with an overall record of 1-0 and opened up GVVC Conference play with a 1-0 record, as well. Next on the schedule for Sheldon is Thursday, when they head out on the road for the first time, taking on the Hornets of Hume High School in another GVVC matchup.

The first game on the schedule that night is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m., at Hume High School.