Panthers, Lady Panthers conclude play at Lakeland Tournament

After dropping its opening round contest to Wheatland on Tuesday at the Lakeland Basketball Tournament, the Sheldon Panthers bounced back with a 42-41 victory over Humansville Friday, and then proceeded to knock off Ballard in the fifth-place game Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Panthers wrapped up play in Lakeland on Friday, falling in the consolation semis to Humansville, 46-41.

Sheldon 42, Humansville, 41

In the boys bracket, No. 5 seed Sheldon led No. 8 Humansville 20-14 at halftime, before a third quarter surge put Humansville in front 31-28, entering the fourth. Sheldon then pulled out the victory after outscoring Humansville 14-10 in the final frame.

The Panthers were led by Jason Leavell, as the junior forward tallied a team-high 13 points, while guard Clayton Loyd pitched in 12, and Matt Bogart, 8.

“The boys played really well against a good defensive team,” said Sheldon head coach, Joel McDuffey. “We worked through it, and ran plays well down the stretch to pull off a solid win.”

Sheldon 50, Ballard 44 OT

In the fifth-place game, Sheldon notched its second consecutive close-shave victory, toppling sixth-seeded Ballard, 50-44 in overtime.

Saturday’s victory marks the third time Sheldon has defeated Ballard this season, having previously bested them 42-36 in the Golden Valley Vernon County Conference semifinals on Nov. 30, and 46-39 on Homecoming Night, Jan. 5 in Sheldon.

“Beating a team three times in a season is a very difficult task,” noted McDuffey. “

Sheldon trailed 7-6 through one quarter, and 14-14 at the conclusion of a low-scoring first half.

“We came out flat and struggled to hit a shot,” said McDuffey of his club’s first half offensive woes.

The scoring picked up a tick in the second half, with Sheldon trailing 28-27 through three quarters of play. The score was then tied 41-41 at the end of regulation. Sheldon dominated the extra session, outscoring Ballard 9-3 en route to victory.

“We stepped it up in the second half,” said McDuffey, adding, “Ballard did a great job down the stretch of hitting key shots to send it into overtime. In overtime, we did a great job of spreading our offense out and making them come get us — which opened up lanes — and we did a good job of hitting free throws in overtime to keep and expand the lead.”

Saturday’s victory improves the Panthers to 8-5 overall.

Humansville 46, Sheldon 41

In the girls bracket, the No. 8 seed Lady Panthers led No. 5 Humansville 13-9 after one quarter of play, with Humansville going in front 22-20 at the break. The contest remained tight throughout the third, with Humansville clinging to a 33-32 advantage entering the fourth. Humansville then outscored Sheldon 13-9 in the final stanza.

“The girls did a great job of coming out strong and making a good push in the first three quarters,” said Lady Panthers head coach, McDuffey. “Towards the end we just could not overcome their shooters and (made) free throws.”

For Sheldon, sophomore center Madyson Bogart poured in a game-high 20 points — while Meckinize McCartney and Nici Hites combined for 15.