WEST UNITY – If you are one of those with the mistaken belief that without Parker Ruffer, the Stryker Panthers are the proverbial ship without a rudder, then one Mr. Hunter Clingaman would like a word with you.
The Panther Pack made the trip to The Bunker to take on the Hilltop Cadets in BBC play on January 25. On this night, Ruffer posted a rare goose egg in limited play, but the Panthers’ goose was not cooked as a result…far from it. Luke Graber picked up the slack on the boards with 10 rebounds, and Hunter Clingaman found yet another overdrive gear with a game-high 21 to lead Stryker to a 49-36 win.
The Cadets used an 11-6 first period run to take an early lead, but that lead was down to a single point at the half. In the third period, it was gone for good as the Panthers outgunned the Cadets 30-16 over the final two periods for the win.
Dean Beamont hit for 9 points in support of Clingaman, with Graber adding 8 points, Cole Heath 7, and Alic ‘A-Mart’ Martinez and Austin Robison each coming off the bench to drop a deuce.
Brandon Willis fell a rebound short of a double-double for the Cadets, finishing with 10 points and 9 boards, while fellow big man Joey Mohr put in 9 points. Payne Sentle flew for 8 points and 7 rebounds, Erik Stipe finished with 5 points, and Jalen Towers and Xavier Lowery each had a bucket.
SCORING BY QUARTER:
Stryker 6 13 13 17 – 49
Hilltop 11 9 10 6 – 36
