Owls Swoop by Panthers, 69-63

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The battle for the glory came to an unfortunate end on Tuesday night as the Plymouth State College men’s basketball team fell to rival Keene State College in a close 69-63 loss in a Little East Conference game at Foley Gymnasium. The loss drops the Panthers to 17-6 in the regular season and leaves the Owls at 18-6. Both schools are currently tied for second in the Little East with 9 wins and 4 losses. Western Connecticut currently leads the conference with a record of 10-3, and with one game remaining in the regular season, nothing is set in stone.

Panther senior Kenny Stewart dominated the game for Plymouth with 17 points, which included a jumper in the second half that made him the eighteenth man in Plymouth State history to reach the 1000 point mark. Sophomores Anthony Ogelsby and Matt Budrow also contributed to the game, Ogelsby with 15 points and seven rebounds and Budrow adding seven points and seven rebounds. Plymouth’s leading scorer, sophomore Nick Pelotte, suffered an ankle injury in the first half and did not return for the remainder of the game.

The Owls had a successful offensive attack, led mainly by the junior class. Juniors Alphonse Michalski, Brandon Johanson, Matt Wheeler, and Chris Timson combined to score a total of 52 points. Senior Derek Swenson, who had been averaging 14 points a game, only made five points.

The Panthers were behind for most of the game, and the score was 26-13 at the half. However, they rallied during the second half, overcoming the 13-point deficit to take a one-point lead with eleven minutes left in the game. Unfortunately, that lead would not stand has the Owls came back with eight straight points, and the lead would remain, with Keene victorious.

The Panthers also had a big win against University of Massachusetts Boston on Saturday, February 15 at the Clark Athletic Center with a score of 67-58 in a Little East Conference game. Plymouth State improved to 17-5 overall and 9-3 in the conference. The Beacons fell to 11-12 overall and 5-7 in the Little East.

Three Panthers scored in double figures at the game, leading the Plymouth attack. Junior Ryan Chicoine had 12 points and six rebounds, junior Mike Loughlin added 11 points, and senior Donnelle Combs chipped in with 10.

It was the sophomore class that dominated the Beacon offense at the game. Sophomores Billy Allen and Roger Perry had 14 points apiece, while classmates Roderic Joseph and Jurvon Wallace each added 11 points.

At first it looked as if the Beacons would take the game without any problem, blowing onto the court and taking a 19-2 lead in the first eight minutes of the game. Even so, the Panthers had more than one trick up their sleeves and battled back, overcoming the 17-point deficit and dropping the Beacons’ lead to nine at the half. After halftime, however, was when the action really started. Now it was time for the Panther’s to show what they could do. Within the first six minutes, the Panthers had overcome the rest of those nine points and had taken the lead 42-41. For the next ten minutes, both teams fought for the lead, and with 2:31 left in the game the Panthers led by a precious three points. That three point lead would continue to increase as the game finished up, with the Beacons unable to sink a basket and the Panthers making six out of eight free throws to seal the win at 67-58.

The Panthers will wrap up the regular season at home against Rhode Island College at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22.