BRYAN 12/28/2013—In a matchup that pitted Panthers vs. Panthers, it was the Lady Panthers of Stryker who came out victorious in the finals of the Girls Basketball Holiday Tournament hosted in Bryan. Stryker’s defense shut down Paulding early on, and would ride that defensive momentum on to a 45-22 win.
It didn’t take long for Stryker to take control of the contest. The Blue and White offense started off hot, nailing a triplet of three point shots in the first quarter. Combine that with their defense which held Paulding to only two points in the first quarter, and it makes for a 13-2 first quarter lead for Stryker.
Stryker’s lead would shrink in the second quarter, getting outscored by Paulding 10-8, but with the lead that the Stryker had built, this did little to shake Stryker’s confidence though. The Blue and White held the lead 21-12 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Stryker was able to get right back on track in the quarter, increasing their lead by six points, leading 33-18 after three periods.
Paulding would be unable draw within striking distance, as Stryker would hold them to only four points in the final quarter of action, while scoring 12 points of their own. This sealed the Stryker win by a score of 45-22, as Stryker would win the Holiday Tournament in Bryan.
Connor Sullivan set the scoring pace on the night, scoring 20 points for Stryker. Conner Varner was gather up a double digit scoring total with 18, followed by Christie Huston with five, Audra Rupp finished with 2.
-Mitchell Peebles