(December 6th, 2014): In a close junior high Buckeye Border Conference affair, the eighth grade girls of Stryker battled the combined seventh and eighth grade team from Fayette. The contest was close throughout, despite the fact that the Lady Panthers maintained a small lead from its early moments to its final buzzer.
In the end, the Panthers took down the Eagles 23-17.
By the end of the opening period, Stryker had earned a 6-3 advantage. The girls of Fayette refused to fall back any further, however, and were able to keep pace with the Panther offense in the second quarter. At the half, the score was 11-8 in Stryker’s favor. This trend continued out of the locker room, as each squad put up 4 points in the third period of play. This left the score at 15-12 heading into the fourth quarter.
An offensive burst by the Panthers in that final stanza gave them a bit more breathing room before the game’s end. Outscoring the Lady Eagles 8-5 down the stretch, the Panther girls enjoyed a 6 point lead as the contest ended.
Rhys Ruger, of Fayette, led all scorers with 11 points. Teammates Mataya Rufenacht and Jillian Figgins each contributed 3 points to the losing effort as well. No other Lady Eagles registered a basket, or even a free throw attempt.
Stryker found that dividing the point production a bit more to be a better strategy. Haines gave a team-leading 8 point performance. Fellow Lady Panther Grime added 6 points to the unit’s total. Tingley put up 5 more points on Stryker’s behalf, while Breier and Stuckey each produced 2 points as well.