The Pinnacle Panthers hosted the Winter Classic over the weekend, with the Panthers entering the tournament a perfect 7-0. Suffering three losses in two days, they would head into the Christmas break 7-3 and hold the No. 9 spot in the initial rankings.
The Panthers entered the weekend with an unblemished 7-0 mark with wins over Altamont, Dugway, and Telos. In the initial rankings released by the Utah High School Activities Association and MaxPreps, Panguitch is ranked No. 1, followed by Wayne. Bryce Valley, Manila, and Piute make up the rest of the top five. The rankings will be updated throughout the remainder of the season.
In the opening contest, the Panthers faced the Rockwell Marshals. Both teams were evenly matched in this one, but it was the Marshals who quietly built a lead and took the 59-41 win.
Pinnacle kept pace with Rockwell in the opening quarter, and they went into the second quarter with the Marshals holding a slight 17-15 edge. The Panthers let a little distance come between them and Rockwell as Pinnacle headed to the locker room down 29-21.
In the second half, both teams turned the offense back on as the Marshals went on a 21-18 run in the third. In the final eight minutes, the Panthers went cold, scoring just two points, while Rockwell did what they had to do to protect their lead, earning the 59-41 win.
Brody Howell scored 18 for Pinnacle, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out an assist. Santiago Alamillo had eight with five boards and a pair of assists, and Diego Contreras and Joey Howell each scored six in the loss.
Up next for the Panthers was a meeting with the Panguitch Bobcats. The Bobcats came out firing in all four quarters, putting Pinnacle away 59-36.
Panguitch was definitely the aggressor in this one, coming out and holding the Panthers to eight points in the first quarter to take a 15-8 lead. The second was more of the same as Pinnacle came out looking to cut into the Bobcat lead, but they would hold a 30-17 advantage at the half.
The Bocats kept the pedal down in the third, outscoring the Panthers 18-7, adding to the lead as they went into the final quarter. Pinnacle took their shot in the fourth, outscoring the Bobcats, but the lead was too much to overcome as the Panthers fell 59-36.
Joey Howell and Contreras each scored 12, with Contreras grabbing six boards for Pinnacle. Brody Howell scored eight points with eight rebounds and two assists in the loss.
Pinnalce had just one more game on Saturday after playing two on Friday, taking on the Tabiona Tigers. Tabiona used a big first half and fourth quarter to get the 75-42 win.
The Panthers came out in the first and were put on a defensive lockdown as Tabiona surrendered just six points to Pinnacle, taking a 16-6 lead after one. In the second quarter, the Panthers would find a bit more offense but were outscored once again, 16-10, and headed to the locker room down 16, 32-16.
In the third quarter, the Tigers got Pinnacle’s best shot as the Panthers put up 16; unfortunately, Tabiona put up 17, putting the Tigers up 49-32 heading into the fourth. In the final eight minutes, the Panthers put in one last burst, but the Tigers seemed to find another gear, putting up 26 to take a 75-42 win.
Brody Howell led the way for Pinnacle with 16. Joey Howell scored eight, and Bryson Shumway had seven in the loss.
The Panthers will take a much-needed rest until January 7, when they will travel to Castle Dale to take on the Emery Spartans.