Lady Panthers
Portal’s Ladies got routed by the Lady Indians with a final score of 72-49 in the last meeting between these two teams. Nicole Newton, Portal Women’s Varsity Coach, said their last meeting was motivation for the team coming into this game. “I wrote the score on the board from the last time we played them”, Newton said. “That’s embarrassing on every level and they didn’t want that to happen again.”
The Lady Panthers played a far better game this time around, but fell short with a final score of 51-39.
A run early in the third quarter spelled trouble for the Lady Panthers as they got behind by as much as 11 points after going into half down by just five. Portal would go on a couple more runs, but they were ultimately snuffed out in the second half.
Portal’s Glen Lowe and Vidalia’s Hannah Nichols led their teams in scoring as they both finished with 15 points each.
Portal’s record falls to 5-10 on the season, while Vidalia improves to 8-8.
Panther's Men
The Panther’s Men’s team had retribution on their mind coming into Saturday evening’s contest. Vidalia handed Portal their first and only loss of the season in the first meeting with a final score of 72-58.
The Panthers would come out on top this time with a final score of 64-55.
Portal jumped on their opponents early and never let up. When the game got close, the Panthers hit their opponents with a barrage of three pointers from senior Joseph Thomas and freshman David Thomas to put the game away.
The Panthers rode a red-hot second quarter to victory. The defensive intensity stepped up big time and allowed Portal to go on a run. They outscored the Indians 35-18 in the first half. However, head coach Jeff Brannen cited the need to keep their foot on the gas in these games. “It’s crucial the first three minutes of any half and we let them get their confidence”, Brannen said. “You can’t have lapses and breakdowns on defense. On offense, we made a couple of turnovers that led to easy baskets.”
Brannen emphasized that his team is yet to reach their full potential.
Freshman David Thomas led all scorers in the game with 19 points for Portal. Seniors Joseph Thomas and Amir Jackson also contributed with 16 and 13 points respectively. Vidalia’s Jayon Coleman led the Indians in scoring with 14 points.
Portal’s record improves to 14-1 on the season, while Vidalia’s record drops to 13-4.
UP NEXT:
The Vidalia Indians will be at home when they host Appling County on Tuesday, January 16th. The women’s game will start at 6:00 p.m. with the men tipping off after.
The Portal Panthers will take on the McIntosh County Academy Buccaneers at home on Tuesday, January 16th. The women's game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. with the men starting after.
