The Saint Jo Panthers blitzed Forestburg on Tuesday night.
The Panthers won 76-26 in a game where the outcome was in hand by the end of the first quarter.
The opening minutes were a little slow from both teams. The Longhorns, short on bodies with only six players, were playing a tight two-three zone and daring Saint Jo to shoot from outside.
Forestburg actually led 4-2 in the opening two and half minutes with scores from Braxton Osteen and Jackson Raney. Once a couple of shots went in for the Panthers though the game quickly turned into a route.
Saint Jo was able to set up its full-court press defense that forced a lot of turnovers that led directly to points.
The Panthers quickly scored 10 points in the next two minutes and then scored 14 more in the final two and half minutes of the quarter. With Saint Jo up 26-6, it was all but over.
The second quarter was more of the same. The Panthers kept up their relentless assault on defense which led directly into their offense with transition opportunities. They also were hitting 3-pointers as Kile Thurman made four in the quarter alone.
Forestburg tried switching to different ball handlers, hoping to get its best scorer Osteen off the ball and in better position to score and change things up. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, the inexperience from some of the other players showed its face.
Osteen did score a basket and make one free throw to keep the Longhorns from going scoreless in the quarter, but they were down 50-9 heading into halftime.
Thankfully, Saint Jo Coach Lyndon Cook had a heart and called off the press in the second half while clearing his bench. The third quarter was the most competitive of the game.
Even with the press called off, the Panthers still found ways to attack the rim while driving and kicking out with great success, scoring 19 points.
With no worries about getting the ball up the floor and setting up its offense, Forestburg got baskets from its two senior frontcourt players James Stokes and Hayden Berry. Osteen scored and continued to get to the free throw line as the Longhorns more than doubled their total from the first half.
The fourth quarter saw neither team’s offenses do much.
Saint Jo removed all of its starters while Forestburg players were tired with such little rest during the game. Neither team broke into the double-digits as the Panthers won 76-26.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.