Panthers Fall to Red Devils

As the Babylon Panthers got within six points of knotting the score with League VII rival Center Moriches midway through the fourth quarter Tuesday night, the Red Devils had other plans.

And those plans proved successful as the Panthers (1-2, 1-8) fell to the Red Devils (2-1, 4-5), 69-47, at Babylon Junior Senior  High School.

“They basically have five guards out there,” said Babylon Head Coach Chris Moora, describing Center Moriches’ squad. “They’re quick, they get up and down the floor and just spread us out; it’s tough to guard.”

Shortly into the fourth quarter, the Panthers seemed as if they were poised to not only tie the game at 49, but take the lead as well, with momentum swinging in their direction.

Junior Nahari Jenkins pulled up from 3-point range, drilling a shot to cut the Red Devils’ lead to single digits for the first time since early in the third quarter, when the Panthers only trailed by five.

Senior Sam Zamet followed up Jenkins’ 3, draining a 3 of his own, when he stripped the ball from a Center Moriches player and rushed up the court, putting the Panthers within six.

Flustered, the Red Devils again turned the ball over, this time when they sent a pass flying over their own bench and out of play.

Center Moriches Head Coach John Ward-Adams had seen enough and called a time out.

“Coach told us start pushing it and start making fast breaks,” said Red Devils guard Maleek Harris. “We hit a few 3s and got a few [free throws] and that motivated our defense.”

Back on the court, the Red Devils went on a 17-0 run, slamming the door shut on any comeback the Panthers were attempting to make.

Led by Harris, who scored 10 of his 25 points during the run, the Red Devils took a 23-point lead before the Panthers could record their next point.

“The game was tight,” Moora said. “They hit shots when they had to and we didn’t.”

The struggling season thus far for the Panthers is something that comes with the difficult task of playing in the tough League VII.

“Every night you know you’re going to have a tough game,” said Moora. “There are no easy teams; this is a basketball league, all these kids play year round.”

Despite the early-season woes and tough division, the Panthers  know that the season is a marathon, not a sprint.

“We’re not going to keep our heads down,” said Jenkins. “We still have 10 more games or something like that; we’ll figure it out before it’s over.”

The Panthers are getting ready to jump right back on the court today, Thursday, January 14, when they travel to Hampton Bays (2-1, 5-3) in another League VII matchup.