The Park Hill South Panthers’ basketball team ran into a ranked Benton Cardinals team at the 2024 St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame High School Holiday Hoops Classic on Friday, Dec. 20, at the St. Joseph Civic Arena, with the Cardinals coming out on top 74-50.
The Cardinals led from start to finish in a game that featured a 35-second shot clock. Benton scored the first five points, but the Panthers hung close and were within two points after senior Conner Oathoat hit a three-point shot, but that’s as close as South would get for the rest of the contest.
The Cardinals quickly answered with a three-point shot and then got a stop on defense and added another three-point shot to extend the lead to eight points. South turned the ball over at midcourt, which turned into a dunk on the other end, prompting a timeout from the South bench.
Out of the timeout, Benton got a steal and a foul on the bucket on the other end to add insult. South had a chance for the last possession of the quarter, but a player was called for a charge under the basket with just six seconds left in the period. Benton turned the mistake into a bucket at the buzzer for a 22-7 lead.
The problems continued for the Panthers into the second quarter. Benton got a stepback three at the halftime buzzer to lead by 23 at the break.
The Panthers went on a run in the fourth quarter to make the score look closer than what the game played. Senior guard Gerard Hinson led the Panthers with 19 points, followed by Oathoat with 11 points. The Panthers record drops to 2-4 with the loss. After the break, the Panthers will head out on the road with games at Kearney and St. Joseph Central.
