The Pinnacle Panther boys’ basketball team got back on the court Wednesday evening on the road at the Freedom Preparatory Academy Eagles and earned a 64-56 win. They followed that up the next evening, facing the Merit Preparatory Academy Knights taking their first loss 85-53. They closed out the week at home against the Dugway Mustangs taking a big 59-29 win.
Pinnacle closed out last season going 9-11 overall with a 2-6 mark in region play and held the No. 16 spot in the final RPI. The Panthers faced Altamont in the opening round falling 66-59.
The Panthers started on Wednesday when they faced Freedom Prep, on the road. Pinnacle hit the floor running starting fast and scoring often taking a 21-13 lead at the end of the first. The Eagles would regroup to come out in the second outscoring Pinnacle 18-14, but the Panthers held a 35-31 lead going into the half.
Coming out in the third the Panthers were back on the offensive managing to put 17 up and surrendering 11 to the Eagles as they headed to the fourth. The Eagles would come out outscoring Pinnacle 14-12, but the Panthers held the lead to open the season with a 64-56 win.
Joey Howell scored 16 for the Panthers adding seven assists and seven steals. Riley Davis added 13 with three rebounds and a pair of steals and Dominic Vigil put up 13 with 11 boards and two steals in the win.
On Thursday, they would face the Merit Prep Academy Knights. Merit used a big second quarter to secure the win and handed Pinnacle its first loss of the season.
The first quarter was played pretty close to the vest as both teams were feeling each other out to see what the other had planned with Merit coming out on top 14-11. In the second, Merit had seen what they needed to see and went on a 23-9 run in the quarter going into the half up 37-20.
The third quarter was more Knights as they outscored the Panthers 26-15 in the quarter to take a comfortable 63-35 lead into the final eight minutes. In the fourth, Merit would put 22 on the board and while the Panthers were able to collect 18, the Knights would take the 85-53 win.
Brody Howell came up with 13 for Pinnacle while Diego Contreras poured in 11 in the loss.
On Friday the Panthers would have their home opener when they welcomed the Dugway Mustangs to Price.
The Panthers were ready to excite the home crowd coming out and shutting down the Mustangs holding them to just two points and closing out the first quarter taking an 18-2 lead. Dugway would find some offense in the second managing seven points however the Pinnacle put up another 16 to go to the locker room up 34-9 at halftime.
In the third, Dugway came out to put up 12 in the quarter, and defensively they held Pinnacle to ten points but the Panther lead held 44-21. The fourth was about closing it out holding the Mustangs to just eight points in the quarter earning the 59-29 victory.
Vigil and Brody Howell each scored nine and Contreras added eight in the win.
The Panthers will be back on the home court Tuesday when they will face the 3-0 American Leadership Academy Eagles.
Gametime is set for 7:00 p.m..