The Saint Jo Lady Panthers moved to first place in the district with a win at Forestburg on Tuesday.
The Lady Panthers won a physically close game 46-40, only pulling ahead by that much at the very end.
Both teams came into the game undefeated in district play, including wins against usual district champion Slidell.
Saint Jo finished second in district last year, won a playoff game and lost only two players from that team to graduation while gaining a new freshman starter. With a team full of upperclassmen with several years of varsity experience together, it is not a surprise the Lady Panthers are making a run at the district title this season.
What is surprising for everyone outside of Forestburg is how good the Lady Horns are this season. Last year the team struggled with only five to six players on the roster and wins were hard to come by. While Forestburg has had some teams in the last several years that have been competitive while offering tough matchup issues, the Lady Horns last made the playoffs in 2018.
This year depth is not an issue with an influx of freshman talent, but even with the team improved, there is still a learning curve for freshman adjusting to the high school varsity level.
That barrier seems to have gone away in district play as Forestburg freshman, along with some of the heavy lifters from last year’s team, have struck a great balance.
With the Saint Jo/Forestburg rivalry put on the backburner in recent years due to one side’s dominance, it seemed like Tuesday’s game was the start of rekindling some that feeling since it is only the first of many games to come for at least the next two years if not more for many of these athletes.
The game started and both teams started with a full-court press defenses as each want to play fast while using physicality and athleticism to force turnovers that convert to easy points on offense in transition.
Unfortunately, the quick whistle all night made it a tough balancing act for all players. Saint Jo starter and best shooter Kyler Dunn played only a minute or so in the first half as she picked up four fouls. Many other players dealt with foul trouble as well, with it causing some to foul out at the very end.
Forestburg stormed out to a 7-2 lead midway through the first quarter, but had to call of its press defense to sit back in an aggressive zone defense for the rest of the game.
The Lady Horns had Lili Cisneros score all of their points in the first quarter, making a couple of 3-pointers while taking advantage of the whistle to earn several trips to the free throw line.
The Lady Panthers kept up the pressure despite the risk of foul calls and eventually started to get some things going on offense. Saint Jo was trying to work inside, only to kick it back outside for open 3-pointers. While the Lady Panthers missed several open shots, they hustled to earn a lot of second and third chance looks during some possessions.
Saint Jo led 11-10 after the first quarter.
Forestburg came back and had its best offensive stretch in the second quarter. More players got in on the act of scoring the basketball and the Lady Horns did a great job of getting to the free throw line as they went 7-12. Four different players made at least one basket as Forestburg pulled ahead 27-23 at halftime.
The Lady Panthers upped their defensive intensity in the third quarter. While both teams ended the quarter in the bonus for free throws, Saint Jo limited the Lady Horns attempts their while having its own best stretch offensively.
The Lady Panthers led 38-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
Neither team was having much luck scoring for the first half of the final period. Up a few points, Saint Jo tried to hold the ball, but turnovers allowed Forestburg to tie the game up at 38-38 with less than four minutes left to play.
Key starters for both teams started to foul out in the final minutes as it became a parade to the free throw line for both teams. Importantly, the Lady Panther’s Payzlie Cervantes converted a steal on defense into a layup in transition which put her team back up by one basket 40-38 with 1:30 left to play.
Saint Jo then was sent to the free throw line 14 times, with the team converting six of them to build on its lead while Forestburg, missing several key players fouling out, could not respond offensively. The Lady Panthers won 46-40.

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