Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers wrapped up the first round of district play on Friday night with a close win at Midway.
The Panthers pulled out the narrow win 50-46 in a game that kept Saint Jo in second place in the district standings.
Connor Thompson had his best game of the season, leading the Panthers with 14 points while Brock Durham added 10.
Coach Michael Wheeler liked his team was able to execute the game plan defensively.
“We had a plan coming into this game of taking the ball out of their playmaker’s hands and as a result of our execution we were able to minimize the offensive contribution of their two main players,” Wheeler said. “We are playing more as a team right now, then we have in the past. Guys are stepping up and playing with a purpose.”

Bellevue vs Gold-Burg
A battle for third place at the close of the first round of district took place at Bellevue on Friday.
The Eagles and visiting Gold-Burg both came in with a 3-2 district record. In the end it was Bellevue who was the victor 47-36.
After a low scoring, but competitive first quarter where the Eagles led 11-9, the Bears struggled to score in the second and third quarters. Gold-Burg scored only 12 points combined in those quarters while Bellevue was able to extend its lead gradually into double digits.
The Bears bounced back and outscored the Eagles 15-10 in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late as Bellevue won 47-36.
Gold-Burg was led by Tanner Parrish who scored 18 points, gathered 11 rebounds and three steals. Blake Allen joined him in double digits with 11 points and got six rebounds.

Prairie Valley
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs had to end the first round of district on a rough note by playing the top team in the district and at their gym on Friday.
State-ranked Slidell showed the Bulldogs why they were still undefeated in district, beating Prairie Valley 73-40.
Having to deal with the Greyhounds pressure defense really put the Bulldogs in a bind early. Prairie Valley would not lay down though as they battled back to get the game with 13 points early in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, Slidell went on a run to put the thought of a comeback out of reach.
Nicholas Bell led the Bulldogs with 14 points and three steals. William Winkler and James Gaston joined him in double figures with 11 points and each added five rebounds.
Coach Seth Stephens has a positive outlook heading into the second round of district.
“We finished up the first round of district with only one win,” Stephens said. Three of our losses were by five points or less so we’re staying positive and focusing on getting better and trying to get some wins against those teams the second round of district. We feel like we’re right there with most of the teams in our district, we just need to play a little better for the second round.”

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.