Saint Jo boys

The Saint Jo boy’s basketball team picked up two big wins for itself on Friday and Saturday against Boyd and Bryson.

The Panthers beat the 3A Yellowjackets 49-42 while beating the Cowboys 40-30.Saint Jo was able to hang around Boyd in its home opener for most of the game. Only in the fourth quarter did the Panthers take their first lead, but the Yellowjackets were not just going to let them keep it.

The game was tied 42-42 in the final minutes when Chance Bennett scored to put Saint Jo up. Clutch free throws from Kile Thurman after that iced the game to give the Panthers the win. Bennett led the team with 19 points.

The next day at Bryson was not the best offensive performance for the Panthers. Fortunately, Saint Jo’s defense did well enough to allow the team to get the win.

Brice Durham led the team with nine points and three 3-pointers while dishing a couple of assists and drawing a key charge. Collin Thomas was right behind him scoring eight points off the bench all in the fourth quarter when the team needed it the most.

Prairie Valley girls

The Prairie Valley Lady Bulldogs picked up a big win at home on Friday against Perrin-Whitt.

The Lady Bulldogs won 54-35 in a game where the team showed great improvement on offense.

“This was a great team effort,” Coach Jeanie Carpenter said. “I saw some great teamwork in this game. We passed the ball well, we were able to find the open player and connect. Our defense is a strength this season and with our quickness we are able to create some fast break opportunities. It definitely helps to have multiple players putting points on the board, and not relying too heavily on any one individual.”

Prairie Valley boys 

The Prairie Valley Bulldogs lost a close one at home Friday night against Perrin-Whitt.

The Pirates won 55-50 as mental mistakes down the stretch cost the Bulldogs.

Perrin-Whitt led for most of the game. Prairie Valley was able to hang around for most of the game thanks to its long-range shooting, making 11 3-pointers in the game.

The Bulldogs took the lead in the fourth quarter, but two starters fouled out. This allowed the Pirates to take the back the lead as bad decision making down the stretch was the difference.

Isaac Yeargin led the team with 26 points while making seven 3-pointers. Tyler Winkler was second with 16 points. Konner Ritchie led the team with 13 rebounds and six assists to go with six points.

Saint Jo girls

The Saint Jo Lady Panthers lost games to Victory Christian Academy and Bryson on Friday and Saturday.

The Lady Panthers lost to the Lady Patriots 40-21 on Friday and 28-18 against the Cowgirls on Saturday.

The team had stretches in both games where the offense struggled to score any points to keep pace. The transition to the man-to-man defense seems to have kept Saint Jo in these games, but having scoreless quarters going forward, it is going to be hard to win.

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