KNOXVILLE — It was a slow start for the Knoxville Panthers Friday night as they hosted the Mustangs from Davis County. The Mustangs got down to business early with a quick 14-4 burst to take the lead. That lead was extended to 17-11 after one quarter and midway through the second period Davis County still held a 21-13 lead.
The Panthers were looking for an answer and a defensive change turned their fortunes around quickly. Knoxville rallied with a 13-2 surge in the final four minutes of the second period to go into intermission with a 26-23 lead. The Panthers kept the heat on in the third stanza with a 23-11 run to take control of the game with a 49-34 lead after three quarters.
“We felt that Davis County was working well against our man defense,” Knoxville coach Matt Ritchart said. “We decided to plug up the lane with a tight zone defense and make them beat us from the outside. That did the trick as the Mustangs had only one three-point basket for the game and we stopped the drives to the basket.”
The Mustangs had stretched their lead to 21-13 in the first four minutes of the second period and then the Panthers came to life. Triples by Hannah Dunkin and Brittany Bacorn got the Panther offense untracked. Then Bacorn tallied twice on the inside, Abbie Keitges connected from mid-range and Natlie Collins added a free throw to fuel that second quarter rally.
Once the Panthers got it rolling, there was no stopping as Knoxville hammered out the big run in the third quarter to take charge. The shooting of Bacon, Keitges and Dunkin pushed the Panthers into a 37-29 lead at the four-minute mark of the third period.
Late in the third quarter Knoxville burned the Mustangs with a 12-0 surge to take over the game with a 49-31 lead. In that run, Bacorn knocked down a pair of baskets and a pair of free throws, Keitges drove for two, Anna Anderson connected on the inside and Siena Scott notched a pair of free throws.
The Panthers used a balanced offense with three players in double figures. Bacorn had a monster night as she drained 21 points and ripped down 18 rebounds. Hannah Dunkin chipped in with 17 points and Keitges added 12 tallies to the Knoxville total. Charley Barnhart led the Mustangs with 11 points.
The 3-2 Panthers host Chariton on Tuesday and will travel to Centerville on Friday.
Davis County 17 6 11 15 - 49
Knoxville 11 15 23 14 - 63
Knoxville scoring (FG FTM-FTA Pts) – Abbie Keitges 4 4-6 12, Anna Buttell 2 0-0, Brittany Bacorn 7 7-11 21, Hannah Dunkin 7 1-4 17, Natalie Collins 0 1-2 1, Anna Anderson 1 0-0 2, Siena Scott 0 3-4 3, Addy Dunkin 1 0-0 2. Team 22 16-27 63. Three-point goals (3) – H. Dunkin 2, Bacorn 1.
Knoxville rebounds (46) – Bacorn 18, H. Dunkin 6, Keitges 5, Buttell 5, A. Dunkin 4, Scott 3, Anderson 3, Collins 2.
Knoxville steals (11) – Keitges 5, H. Dunkin 3, A. Dunkin 2, Collins 1.
Knoxville assists (16) – Keitges 8, Collins 2, A. Dunkin 2, H. Dunkin 1, Anderson 1, Scott 1 Bacorn 1.
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