The Ashdown Panthers upset the Tigers on Dec. 8 in the Tiger Center 45-43. It was an intense game as the it went down to the wire, but the Tigers couldn’t capitalize from an early lead.

The beginning of the game didn’t go in the Tigers’ favor as the Panthers won the tip and scored two points. Fight back, senior JaNiro Lane quickly scored two points to tie the game. The Tigers gained nine points on the Panthers. The Tigers won the period 11-2.

Towards the beginning of the game, senior Jaylen Rhone suffered an ankle injury. He was escorted off the court and was out for the rest of the game.

“I jumped up for a rebound and when I came down somebody stepped on my ankle,” Rhone said. “I tried to come back, but I just couldn’t move it like I used to.”

At the beginning of the second quarter, the Panthers tied the Tigers 17-17. The beginning of the period was uneventful. Towards the end the Panthers scored multiple unanswered points to bring the score to 31-17. The Tigers caught up to the Panthers and ended the period tied, 35-35.

The fourth period was intense, with the score going back and forth. The Panthers quickly got ahead of the Tigers in the beginning with a score of 37-35. The Tigers fought to get ahead of the Panthers, but tied the game 38-38. The Panthers got ahead 43-40, but the Tigers once again tied the game 43-43. The Tigers attempted to potentially tie the game within the last seconds, but came up short, ending the game 45-43.

Despite their loss, the team is staying hopeful. They are confident that they will be able to overcome their mistakes and are optimistic that the rest of the season will go smoothly.
“This was a learning experience,” Rhone said. “[We need to] just play as a team, stay as a family, [and] keep fighting till the end.”