After three days of no school for both teams, the St. Mary's Colgan Panthers and the Frontenac Raiders will resume action when the two teams face off on Friday night in Frontenac.
"It's been weird," Colgan head coach Clint Heffern said. "Some of the boys said they've actually been bored sitting at home. We've got a lot of mature guys. You kind of have to rely on them doing their work at home, watching film and learning their assignments."
"It seems like it's been decades since we've played," Colgan girls coach Abby Farabi said. "We haven't been able to practice all week. We're finally going to be able to practice (Thursday) and I'll be excited to get a game in."
GIRLS
The Colgan girls were dominant in their last game, a 71-28 road victory over Independence on Monday.
The Panthers jumped out to a 20-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 42-14 at halftime. Three players finished with double figures, led by Jakayla Davis' 29 points. Khyla Osborn added 14 and Molly Sweezey scored 11.
"I thought our scoring was consistent," Farabi said. "We had three girls in double figures. We were sharing the ball really well. We were playing with a shot clock, and almost every time we had a shot within 15 seconds on the clock, it didn't affect us."
The Frontenac girls also earned an emphatic road win their last time out, defeating Baxter Springs 70-32 last Friday.
The Raiders led 30-11 at halftime and started the second quarter on a 16-0 run. Marlee Stout led the Raiders with 12 points followed by Maddie Blann and Hadley Goodwin who each had 10.
The Panthers are 17-1, with their only loss coming at the hands of Fort Scott in a 49-44 double overtime loss at the Raider Classic in Frontenac on Jan. 24. Since that defeat, Colgan has won nine consecutive games, winning all nine by double-digits and four by 20 points or more. The Panthers are 10-0 in CNC League play.
Frontenac (6-11), 5-4 CNC) comes into Friday's matchup riding a three-game winning streak and have won four of its last five.
The Panthers won the first game between the two, a 56-37 win on Jan. 28 at Colgan. Davis led the Panthers with 18 while Mariah Harris added 12. Marlee Stout led the Raiders with 11.
"They're a scary team," Farabi said. "They have a lot of athletes and they play hard. They play a lot of players and it's hard to scout 12 different people. It was competive for three quarters last time and it will be competitive again, coming off not practicing for a couple days. They rebounded really well against us last time. Since that game rebounding has really been an emphasis for us."
BOYS
The Frontenac boys earned a 57-30 victory last time out over Baxter Springs last Friday. Brogan Smith led the Raiders with 13 points and Jake Wegner added eight. The Raiders improved to 8-9 and 5-4 CNC.
The Panthers fell in their last game, a 65-58 loss to Independence. Brady Bettega led the Panthers with 26 points and Joe Lomshek added 11.
"I was pleased with our effort and our execution," Heffern said. "I thought we played a pretty good game even though we lost. We played a good SEK school and I was pleased with the way we competed."
Colgan (9-9, 6-4 CNC) are on a three-game losing streak. The Panthers fell 49-40 against Galena last Friday and 78-52 against Riverton on Feb. 11.
"I'm really proud of the guys for staying with it all season," Heffern said. "There's no gimmes on the schedule. We've played a lot of close games. We wanted to play this tough schedule because we want to be battle-tested for sub-state. Hopefully we start to peak at the right time."
The Panthers won the first game between the two teams, a 48-38 victory at Colgan on Jan. 28. Bettega scored 23 points to lead the Panthers. Smith led the Raiders with 15.
"They're a good test for us," Heffern said. "Their first five guys are really solidy, and (Frontenac coach Ryan Varsolona) does a great job. If you get into a rhythm, they'll throw you something new. They throw different types of defenses at you. You have to know their personnel. (Vinny) Collier is very quick; you have to force him to his right hand. He's a very good shooter. They run a lot of ball screens with their big guys, Wegner and Jayden Houghton. YOu have to respect them."
Both Colgan teams will play their final games on Tuesday at Girard.
FRONTENAC, GIRARD TO PLAY SATURDAY
Frontenac's games at Girard, originally scheduled on Tuesday and initially rescheduled for Thursday, were moved again to Saturday afternoon.
The girls will play at 2:30 while the boys will play at 4. The Raiders will play their final games of the season at home on Monday against Columbus.
