Panthers Take Down Pinckney in District Opener

The Stockbridge boys’ basketball team used a fast start to take a big first-quarter lead and held off Pinckney for a 67-46 win in the Division 2 district opener at Fowlerville Monday night.

The win was the first district win for the Panthers since 2016 when they claimed the district title.

Stockbridge came out hot in the opening quarter taking a 9-0 lead before the Pirates finally got on the board. The lead would grow to 18-5 behind seven points from David Kluesner. A Kluesner lay-in at the buzzer pushed the Panther lead to 20-9 after one period.

Kegan Collins hit six triples and finished with 20 points against Pinckney

Kegan Collins hit a pair of triples to start the second and the Panthers held an 18-16 lead, but the Pirates scored the last seven points of the second to cut the Stockbridge lead to 28-23 at the break and appeared to have all the momentum going into the half.

The Pirate’s momentum did not last for long as Collins nailed two triples and Kluesner picked up a pair of baskets as the Panthers pushed the lead back to double digits. Kluesner and Collins closed out the quarter with triples and the Panthers led 47-33 after three.

Triples by Collins and Drew Philipp gave the Panthers a 20-point lead and they would cruise the rest of the way as the Pirates would get no closer than 16 the rest of the way.

Drew Philipp scored 17 to help the Panthers take down Pinckney

Collins finished with six triples and a team-high 20 points to lead the Panthers.

Kluesner finished with 18 points and Philipp 17. Drew Robinson added six points, Micah Bolton three points, Jacob Sawicki two, and Joey Ballagh one.

The Panthers improved to 11-10 overall and will have their work cut out for them in the district semifinals when they take on D2 #1 ranked Williamston Wednesday at 5:30 PM. The Hornets enter the game with a 20-0 record with only one game being decided by less than ten points. But as the old saying goes, that is why they play the game…. it is March Madness.