Every Panther had a paw in a big 70-58 Northside Conference victory over Dietrich Tuesday.
All 11 varsity players saw significant time thanks to a excellent first half in which the Panthers sunk 56 percent (17-for-30) of their shots. At the break the Carey lead was 19 points, 41-22.
Coach Dick Simpson remarked, "It was an up-tempo game. We wanted to run the ball and they wanted to press us and it fit into our game plan. When we'd break their press we'd score easy."
Tadd Green, the game's high scorer, tallied 19 of his 26 total points in the first two quarters. The 6-3 junior also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.
Two other Panthers posted double figures: Brad Hunt (7 rebounds) had 17 points and Alan Peck 15 with 11 in the first half.
Not a big night in the points column for Tyler Cook (2 points), but the junior guard was solid in every other way, with 11 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals.
Luke Harmon finished with 4 points. Bryan Hill, James Carlson, and Cody Baird sunk two points apiece.
Dietrich's high scorers were Jackson Hill with 17 and Bryant Pitman with 16. The remaining six players combined for 25 points.
Even though the Panthers (6-3, 3-0 league) have a two-week break from competition that doesn't mean they are taking the holidays off.
Simpson said all 23 varsity and JV players have been showing up for 5:30 a.m. practices and plan to until they resume their normal schedule in January.
"It's been awesome," he said. "The kids are really fired up and want to keep playing. We have a hard schedule ahead of us, but we have made some improvements."
The Panthers pick up again Tuesday, Jan. 4 at Bliss (0-5, 0-2) and then tackle Richfield (8-1, 3-0 league) Friday, Jan. 7, at Richfield.
