The Saint Jo boys basketball team took another step for its program when the Panthers upset Dodd City at S&S Consolidated High School on Thursday in the area round of the playoffs.
The 50-43 win for the Panthers is easily the farthest the program has gone in more than a decade as Saint Jo came out and jumped on the Hornets from the beginning and never trailed.
The Panthers had a double-digit lead in the first quarter that seemed to stun Dodd City early on. Using the Hornets’ pressure defense against them, Saint Jo was able to handle it well and score on drives in the half court.
Defensively the Panthers were able to affect Dodd City’s shooting from three-point range, but they struggled to contain a Hornet’s post player inside.
Saint Jo never trailed, but the lead never got comfortable enough that you could count out a team like the Hornets until the end.
Preston Lyons, who led the team with 14 points, fouled out with 1:43 to play and Coach Michael Wheeler was nervous his team might relinquish the lead. Luckily, some clutch free throws at the end made it a three possession game with less than a minute to go.
Only then did coaches and players alike let themselves believe they had the game won. The Panthers won 50-43.

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