Panthers, Lady Panthers split with Ballard

BUTLER — The Sheldon Panther and Lady Panther basketball teams opened the second half of their respective seasons with mixed results Friday night.

The Sheldon boys were unable to avenge their GVVC tournament championship game loss to Ballard (on Dec. 1), falling in the neutral-site contest Friday, 54-42.

The Panthers found themselves with an early 15-point deficit, and were unable to dig out from that.

“We shot terrible to begin the game,” lamented Sheldon head coach Jacob Well, adding that he was also not pleased with his squad’s defensive effort.

Senior guard Matt Bogart was the only player to crack double-figure scoring for the Panthers, tallying a team-high 15 points.

The loss moves Sheldon to 6-5 (4-1 GVVC).

The Sheldon girls, meanwhile, easily dispatched Ballard, 40-25.

“We came out very flat and cold to start the game,” said Well, also the Sheldon girls’ head coach. “We struggled to score on their 2-3 (zone), (but) our defense played really well throughout the (entire) game.”

Sheldon junior guard Meckinize McCartney led the way with a dozen points, while junior forward Brooklyn O’Connor chipped in 10. The victory moves the Lady Panthers to 8-3 overall and 3-2 in GVVC conference-play.