Pekin’s Hadley and Parsons Combine for 39 Points in Loss to Central Lee

PACKWOOD—On February 1, the Pekin Panthers hosted the Central Lee Hawks for a SEISC North vs South matchup. The Hawks bested the Panthers by a final score of 52-43.

The Panthers stormed out to a 12-9 lead after a quarter of play behind 10 points from sophomore Anna Hadley. The highlight of the quarter for Hadley was the basket before time expired that pushed the Panther lead to 3 points.

Hadley continued to dominate in the second quarter, as she added eight more points. Despite the big scoring quarter from Hadley, the Panthers found themselves down a point at 24-23. Central Lee had secured their first lead of the quarter, and the Panthers had the final possession. After a missed shot from Hadley, freshman Paislee Coleman soared into the paint for the offensive rebound. She turned and quickly propelled the ball towards the basket. SWISH! Coleman gave the Panthers the lead back with six seconds left in the half. 

The third quarter was all Hawks, as they out-scored the Panthers 13-7. Hadley was held to only four offensive points in the quarter. She would be held scoreless in the fourth quarter, and finished her night with a team high 22 points.

The Panthers struggled in the second half, as they only scored 18 offensive points. Senior Alex Parson accounted for 10 of the 18 second half points from the Panthers. 

The Hawks controlled the second half en route to their 52-43 victory.

The Panthers fall to 6-13 with a conference record of 6-9. They will return to action on February 5, when they visit the English Valleys Bears

The Panthers also had their first round matchup announced, and they will travel to Sigourney high school on February 8.