COLUMBUS – It was only a few weeks ago when West Lowndes’ basketball squads went over to Smithville for a Region 3-1A contest and left town stuck with a somber bus ride back home .

For the boys team, the Seminoles handed them a four-point loss that snapped a two-game win streak, and for the girls it was a five-point defeat. Both teams had opportunities to steal a win on the road, but neither squad could get the job done. Needless to say, each team wanted their get-back and yesterday they got their chance – and made good on it.

The Panthers’ girls battled back from a 25-23 halftime deficit to clinch a resounding 52-38 revenge victory, their second win in a row. It was tight until the third quarter where the Panthers’ defense took over and forced steal after steal and turned the new possessions into fastbreak layups. Alya Mosley provided the firepower with seven points in the quarter to spur her team on a 16-3 run into the final quarter, where Deadria Conner took over and cashed in six points to stamp her team’s claim on the victory.

Head coach Shaquinta Robinson said it was how her team played defense that flipped the table from the last time the two teams squared off.

“When we went up there to Smithville we got off to a very slow start,” Robinson said. “We were actually down 18-0 in the first quarter (and) came all the way back and tied it in the fourth, but we ended up losing by (five) points. We know we didn’t play well, we started off slow, so this game we knew that our defense and our pressure had to step up. We were down at halftime and I told them, ‘This game is close.’ I said, ‘I know it’s close, but they are getting tired,’ that’s because of our defensive pressure. So, I knew that our speed and our defense would win the game.”

Mosely finished the game with 21 points off five made shots from deep. Mariah Ellis boosted the Panthers (11-10, 3-3) with 13 points, and Conner dropped in 11 points to boot. It was an all-around efficient and gritty showing from the Panthers, something Robinson said she wanted to see coming into the game.

“It was really just our defensive pressure, especially by our guards Mariah (and) Alya,” she said. “I told them that those girls couldn’t handle the pressure that I knew they could give and we made some shots. We made some key 3s, we passed the ball pretty well. We only had six turnovers, so we celebrated that one.”

The win keeps the Panthers in the No. 3 spot in the region standings and they’ll also have a chance to knock off the No. 1-seeded Ingomar Eagles.

“We are feeling really good heading into the last couple of games of district play,” Robinson said. “We know that the district tournament is coming and that those seedings are really big, so it will really help with our seedings and solidify our place in the top three. So, we just have to finish strong.”

West Lowndes boys 69, Smithville 50

The boys followed up with a spectacular showing on offense and defense of their own, albeit the game got a little too close for comfort toward the end, according to head coach Michael Huffman.

West Lowndes led as much as 23 points in the third quarter, but some spurts of messy basketball let the Seminoles back into the game.

“We can be a great team, I’ve just got to get our guys to understand that we have to play the right way all of the time,” head coach Michael Huffman said. “I know it’s hard but we still have to play the right way all of the time because big games are coming. We have the talent to play in those big games, we have the talent to win those big games but we have to play the right way. … They got us last time over there in Smithville. They snuck up on us and we have been playing better since then, and we wanted to prove to ourselves and to the other team that we can play.”

A tip in by Anquarius Outlaw got the Panthers (15-4, 4-2) on the board, and Traylen Jefferson brought the energy early when he cashed in a bucket while being fouled. He sank the earned free throw and the race was on. West Lowndes’ defense kept the Seminoles from finding a good look at the basket for the first five minutes and rolled to a 13-0 start that morphed into a 69-50 triumph – the team’s sixth win in a row.

Tyrone Scales delivered eight points in the first quarter to help generate West Lowndes a 21-4 lead, but then Smithville finally woke up. The Seminoles swished three shots from deep to get back into the mix, but Jefferson fired back with two 3s of his own along with Denarian Smith, who sank a 3 and notched a layup to help the Panthers take a solid 45-22 lead to the break.

As the Panthers eased off the gas pedal in the third quarter, Smithville took advantage and outscored West Lowndes 18-15 and 10-9 in the final frame as Huffman bellowed his dissatisfaction loudly from the sidelines. But the burst wasn’t enough to topple the Panthers.

Jefferson led the team with 16 points, and both Scales and Outlaw contributed 11 points each. Eli Sanders held down the paint and added 11 points.

“I thought Outlaw played a great game,” Huffman said. “Traylen Jefferson, a freshman, I thought did a great job. … Denarian Smith coming off the bench was great; he gave us great minutes and he gave us energy.”

The victory sets West Lowndes up with an important showdown with Ingomar at home on Tuesday. The Falcons hold down the No. 1 spot in the region standings while the Panthers clock in at No. 2. Huffman said his team knows what’s at stake when that game tips off. They’ll be fighting for the best seeding possible in the region tournament, and some of them were already getting ready for that high-stakes affair.

“(At halftime) Tyrone Scales was like, ‘Coach we are good on this one. I’m going to rest my ankle for Ingomar,’” Huffman said.