Sports
Panthers Still Winless
Despite three consecutive losses, Clara Barton Panthers remain positive.
With a 20 to 19 lead at halftime at home on Thursday it appeared as though the Clara Barton Panthers would have a fairly good shot to record their first victory of the season against the Wingate Campus Generals. However, the second half proved to be unkind to Barton as they struggled to score.
The Panthers mustered only 10 points in the second half and were unable to stop the Generals best player Jean Joseph. Joseph scored 10 of his game-high 25 points in the third quarter, as the Panthers were unable to get anything going offensively.
Clara Barton finished with four points in the third quarter but their inability to take care of the ball killed any chances of a come-from-behind victory.
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"What hurt us was missing foul shots, layups, turnovers and not being able to take care of the press, " said Barton head coach Robert Sprance.
The Panthers jumped out to an early 7 to 2 lead in the contest and held a four-point advantage after one. However, they allowed Wingate to get back into the game in the second quarter and take the lead. The Panthers led by four points in the final seconds of the first half but Joseph hit a 30-footer at the buzzer to cut the lead to a point. That shot seemed to give the Generals all the momentum they needed in the second.
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Joseph continued his offensive assault on the Panthers who lost their third consecutive game. "Twenty-three (Joseph) was the difference in the game," said Sprance. Barton cut what was a 10-point deficit to six points twice in the fourth quarter as Theo Andrews scored nine of his 15 points in the second half. However, they were unable to handle the Wingate press and turned the ball over in the key situations.
Despite the slow start to the season, the players and the coaching staff have not given up hope. "It still early, but after a few more games its not early anymore, " Sprance said.
"We are just going to work hard to improve. We will get better as the season goes on. It will take time as it is a young, inexperienced team," he added.
The Panthers will look to end their three game slide next week as they host Medgar Evers College Prepartory School on Tuesday.
