Carey High School boys' basketball coach Dick Simpson thought his team was a little rusty Tuesday night, but the Panthers still pulled off a 60-44 road victory over the Bliss Bears giving the Panthers their seventh straight win.
"It wasn't our best game last night, but after the break we'll take it," Simpson said Wednesday.
Allen Peck led the Panther offensive attack with 17 points, completing three 3-pointers. Brad Hunt contributed 13 points and Tyler Park added 12. James Carlson and D.J. Simpson chipped in seven apiece and Cody Baird contributed four.
Eli Gough scored 17 points to lead the Bears.
Bliss kept the game close in the first half, but the Bears were unable to keep up with the high-powered Panther offense in the final three frames. By quarters, Bliss led 12-11 after the first, while Carey led 30-25 at half and 44-33 at the end of the third.
The victory lifted the Panthers to 9-1, their only defeat at the hands of Challis in the Carey Holiday Tournament in early December.
Despite the strong start, Richardson isn't ready to talk about potential state championship games, even though the boys on his basketball squad won the State 1A Division 2 eight-man football championship in November.
"That's not even thought of right now," said Richardson. "Right now we just want to get through conference play."
The Panthers face a hefty schedule during the next week. Friday they host conference rival Richfield at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Oakley Hornets come to Carey for a non-conference showdown starting at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9, the Panthers host Bliss at 7:30 p.m. in another conference match. Junior varsity games start at 6 p.m. each night.
"It's going to keep us busy—we're really going to have to work," said Richardson.