The Saint Jo Panthers had the unfortunate draw of playing one of the top ranked teams in the state on Monday in their bi-district playoff game.
The Panthers lost to second ranked Perrin-Whitt 76-38 for the fourth straight season in the playoffs.
Saint Jo came into the game hoping a win against playoff team Midway in the district finale would give the team the confidence it needed to try and pull an upset.
The Panthers dominated Midway, who finished second in the district standings, 62-34. Barrett Johnson led the team with 21 points, Jayden Curry was second with 13 and Trent Gaston had 12 points.
This came a week after Saint Jo giving rival Forestburg its only district loss on the way to winning the district title. The Panthers were on an upset roll.
Unfortunately, the Pirates on Monday proved to be on a different level. Saint Jo struggled to score in the first half, scoring only two points in the first quarter and 11 by halftime as Perrin-Whitt led 35-11.
The Panthers were able to find some things that were working offensively after halftime, scoring double-digit points in both quarters and scoring 27 points.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo’s defense could not slow down the Pirates which was why the Panthers could not make up the deficit.
Perrin-Whitt won 76-38.
Gaston led the team with 19 points and Johnson was second with 10 points.

“Our last game definitely did not go as planned, but I feel as if we left it all out there on the court to end the season,” Coach Jacob Nocktonick said. “I know this team is very young and capable of doing such great things. What I’m going to remember most about this year is the special bond that us as a coaching staff and players have created this year. We truly have something great here. I consider this group my family, they mean the world to me.”