Lee surpasses 1,000 career points
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
The NRHEG boys' basketball team can finally notch one in the win column, the first of NRHEG head coach Dan Schmidt's varsity career.
The Panthers split a pair of road games last week, defeating Medford 76-55, and losing to Waterville-Elysian-Morristown 68-55.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first half on Tuesday, with neither the Tigers nor the Panthers gaining more than a four-point edge. Turnovers, specifically in the lane, significantly hampered the Panthers, who led by 3 at halftime.
“We struggled with ball movement,” said Schmidt. “In the second half we came out with a little more fire.”
A Tigers three-pointer put them up 41-38, but Sawyer Prigge answered on the next possession to tie it up.
From there the Panthers tried a 1-3-1 trap style defense.
“We tried to create a little confusion,” said Schmidt. “And it brought a good amount of pressure and forced Medford into some outside shots.”
The defensive change worked. Over the final 10 minutes the Panthers outscored the Tigers more than two-to-one.
“The entire second half saw some dynamite ball movement, as we looked for, and found the open guy more often than not,” Schmidt explained. “We had some great performances tonight.”
William Tuttle was dominant in the paint in the second half, recording his second straight double-double; Daxter Lee continued a memorable scoring campaign, kicking in 20 points, and Alden Dobbersterin added depth off the
bench, finishing with 15 points. In a battle of one-win teams, the Panthers lost a see-saw fight with the Buccaneers in Waterville Friday night. The game was close until the end. Again, free throws, fouls, and late baskets proved costly for the Panthers, who saw the close game spiral away in the final minutes.
The highlight of the evening was
Lee eclipsing the 1,000-point total for his career.
The Panthers won the rebound battle 37-31, but had five more turnovers (15) than the Buccaneers.
Individually for the Panthers: Lee 32 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists; Tuttle 10 points, 16 rebounds; Dobberstein 15 points, 5 assists; Sam Olson 4 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists; Prigge 4 points; and Jaylin Raab 1 point.
The Panthers played at home against USC Tuesday, travel to Randolph Friday and return home on Tuesday against JWP.