The Alba-Golden Panthers let a playoff spot go begging last Friday with a 46-38 loss at the hands of the visiting Como-Pickton Eagles. 

The Panthers were not undone by lack of effort or scheme or talent on the ball, but rather a cold shooting hand from the free throw line. The Panthers were 10 of 19 from the charity stripe for a 53% conversion rate. 

The template for this game was a familiar one in 2023. Despite coming out with excellent energy and effort, the Panthers fell behind early. The squad was able to generate good looks at the basket, but the shots simply would not fall. 

At the quarter break, Alba-Golden trailed 15-6. Going naught for five from the line in the quarter was a point of frustration for the Panthers. 

The second and third quarters were played to a draw, with strong physical play by both sides. A quick whistle by the three-man officiating crew kept all action in check.    

The Panthers made three surges in the final quarter to challenge the lead. Early in the period inside scores by Jerry Skinner and Braylon Moffett drew the Panthers to within five points. 

A quick time-out by Como-Pickton cooled the Panthers’ comeback and restored a 9-point edge with four minutes to play. 

In what pretty well described the night for Alba-Golden, Skinner wrestled three consecutive offensive rebounds, putting each one back up. The ball seemed to just dance around the rim but refused to drop through. 

The Panthers, however, continued to work and cut the deficit to five points with just over a minute left.

That sequence featured an inside score by Skinner, a block on the defensive end by Conner Gibson and a driving bucket by Cameron Lennon. 

Skinner hit a 3-pointer with :22 on the clock to close the score to 42-38, but the Eagles held on for the win. 

Tuesday’s Alba-Golden match-up with Boles and Como-Pickton’s game with Cumby, will further define the playoff picture.