Panthers Roll to First District Title Since 2016
And the trophies keep rolling in for the Stockbridge boys’ basketball team.
A week after winning the Big 8 championship the Panthers cruised to the D3 district title for the Panthers first district crown since 2016.
To say Stockbridge cruised to the title may be an understatement as the Panthers dominated its two opponents by outscoring them 131-44 on their way to the title.
The Panthers rolled past Big 8 foe Springport 56-18 to claim the title Friday night.
The teams had split their two regular season games, but this time it was all Panthers from the opening tip.
Both teams started slow offensively with the Panthers struggling against the Springport zone.
The Panthers scored just eight points in the opening quarter, but a smothering defense locked down on the Spartans and held them scoreless in the opening period for an 8-0 lead after one.
Stockbridge heated up in the second behind a pair of three pointers from Zac Rogozinski and six points from Brock Rochow, outscoring Springport 20-8 for a 28-8 halftime lead.
While the defense continued to lock down the Spartans, the offense continued to pour it on in the third with Jacob Dalton scoring nine and Rochow eight and blew the game open with a 26-3 run for a commanding 54-11 lead after three.
The Panthers bench got plenty of work in the fourth with the only basket coming from senior Foster Pybus, who hurt his knee in the last week of the season and entered the game in the final few seconds to score a basket at the buzzer.
Rochow led the Panthers with a double-double of 19 points, ten rebounds, and five assists.
Shannon Henderson was a force inside on both ends with 11 points and five huge blocks underneath that forced Springport out of their normal offensive rhythm.
Dalton and Rogozinski finished with nine points each, Noah Sandecki six points and five assists, and Pybus two points.
The Panthers reached the finals by dismantling Dansville 75-26 Wednesday night.
Stockbridge again dominated from the opening tip by taking a 25-3 lead after one quarter and never looking back against the Aggies.
The Panthers put four in double figures led by Rochow’s big night of 25 points.
Rogozinski continued his hot shooting from outside with four triples for 12 points.
Dalton finished with a double-double of ten points and 11 assists, while Henderson added ten points.
Sandecki chipped in with eight points and five steals, Koen Griffith six points, and Brendon Cordero four points.
The Panthers improved to 20-4 overall on the season. They advance to the D3 Regional at Ithaca Tuesday night against 21-3 Jackson Lumen Christi.