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Senior Lukas Belz (24) dribbles the ball down the court during the Panthers' Regional Semifinal game against Lipan Friday, in what turned out to be his final high school basketball game, he tallied 23 points and six rebounds in the Panthers' 45-42 loss. Photo by DJ Spencer -
Panthers fall short against Lipan, 45-42
Belz scores 23 points
MCKINNEY — The No. 8 North Hopkins Panthers had their season come to a heartbreaking end in the Regional Tournament Friday, falling 45-42 to the No. 2 Lipan Indians in the Regional Semifinals. Though they held strong all game, the Panthers weren’t able to come out on top, as they fell to the defending 2A state champions.
The first quarter didn’t feature much scoring, as both defenses kept the offenses at bay. The Indians would take a 5-0 lead on a two-pointer and three-pointer.
The Panthers would get on the board when Lukas Belz made a two-pointer. After the Indians made a two-pointer, the Panthers would close out the first quarter with a two-pointer by Belz and a three-pointer by Steven Reyes, tying the score at 7-7 as the first quarter ended.
The second quarter would be another low-scoring defensive battle, as each offense continued to struggle to make their shots. Once again, the Indians struck first with a two-pointer, pulling ahead 9-7.
Soon after, Belz made another two-pointer, knotting the score up at 9-9. The Indians answered with a three-pointer, taking a 12-9 lead.
The Panthers then clawed back with a two-pointer and free throw by Belz, evening the score at 12-12. From there, the Indians made another two-pointer before the buzzer, pulling ahead 1412 going into halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Panthers opened the third quarter with a two-pointer and free throw by Carson Mathis, taking a 15-14 lead. It would last long, however, as a two-pointer by the Indians put them ahead 16-15.
Belz would then make a free throw to even the score at 16-16. Following another two-pointer by the Indians, Mathis would knock down a two-pointer and three-pointer, giving the Panthers a 21-18 lead.
From there, the Indians responded with a two-pointer, three-pointer, and a pair of free throws, taking a 25-21 lead. At the buzzer, Belz would sink a near-full court shot for a three-pointer, trimming the Indians’ lead to 25-24 as the third quarter concluded.
The fourth quarter opened with the Indians making a pair of three-pointers, extending their lead to 31-24. The Panthers battled back with a two-pointer by Brian Pacheco and a three-pointer by Belz, cutting the deficit to 31-29.
The Indians would then make a three-pointer, making the score 3429. A two-pointer by Belz trimmed the score to 3431. This was followed by a two-pointer and a pair of free throws by the Indians, as Lipan increased their lead to 38-31.
Belz would then make a pair of free throws to bring the score to 38-33. After the Indians answered with a pair of free throws of their own, Mathis made a two-pointer, cutting the score to 40-35.
Following an Indians free throw, a three-pointer by Belz cut the score to 41-38. The Indians then made a pair of free throws to make the score 43-38.
Adin Godbolt would then make a two-pointer to trim the score to 43-40. The Indians then made a free throw to extend their lead to 44-40.
Reyes would then make a two-pointer to turn the score to 44-42. The Indians then made another free throw to extend their lead to 45-42. With three seconds left, the Panthers got one last chance to keep the game alive, but their final shot missed, as the Indians held on for a narrow victory, ending the Panthers’ season.
Belz finished as the Panthers’ leading scorer with 23 points, also coming up with six rebounds. Mathis finished with a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double, also tallying four assists, two blocks, and two deflections.
Reyes finished with five points, three rebounds, three assists, and one deflection. Pacheco tallied two points, two deflections, and one rebound.
Godbolt rounded out the scoring with two points of his own. Jace Jordan also contributed with two rebounds, two steals, one assist, and one deflection.
With the loss, the Panthers’ season has come to an end. They finish the season at 29-8 overall, also finishing as undefeated district champions, Bi-District champions, Area champions, and Regional Semifinalists.
This would also mark the final high school basketball game for five senior Panthers: Belz, Santos Hernandez, Mathis, Pacheco, and Reyes.
The Panthers will look to improve in the off-season and make a deeper playoff run next year.