By LAMAR GAFFORD
DEVILLE – In a season filled with history, the 2023-24 Buckeye boys basketball team added to its resume Friday.
The Panthers got a strong scare from No. 24 seed Teurlings Catholic but held on at the end for a 66-63 win at the Stella Bass Sasser Gym. It was the first playoff win for the Panthers in over 21 years, since full LHSAA brackets only go back to the 2003 postseason.
“That’s a tough ball club,” Buckeye coach Morey Skluzacek said. “We were able to extend the lead a little bit towards the end, but they made a couple of plays and it got physical. However, we made enough plays down the stretch to give us a win.”
Buckeye senior Blane Parish was the driving force in the win with a team-high 21 points and a pair of 3-pointers. In the win, Parish also reached the 1,000-point mark.
“Everybody had a decent or good night,” Parish said. “There’s nothing more you could ask for. It’s just a good team win.”
The Panthers held a slim 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, but a 13-3 run in the second pushed their lead to double digits at halftime (29-19) and the end of the third (45-35).
While the Rebels made a furious rally in the fourth, junior Adam Brodnax helped push the Panthers over the top with 11 of his 20 points coming in the fourth.
“Tonight, I think we showed that we could play with the best,” Brodnax said. “We needed that motivation, because the past few games, we were struggling.”
Buckeye (28-4) barely missed a first-round bye thanks to losing four of six to close the year, but it came out sharp and refreshed.
“We were like, ‘Hey, the playoffs are here and everybody’s 0-0. This is a great opportunity to reset,’” Skluzacek said. “I think we saw that tonight, especially in the first half and third quarter where we had a couple of lulls. I was really proud with how they were able to reset, because it’s been a while since we scored 66 points.”
Teurlings Catholic (14-19) was led by Travis Gallien’s 24 points.
PLAINVIEW 75, CHRIST EPISCOPAL 30: For the second straight season, the Hornets knocked off Christ Episcopal in the regionals of the Division V select playoffs. By finishing its matchup early, Plainview will have a few extra days to prepare for Tuesday’s winner of Rapides and Family Community. Last season, the Mustangs defeated Plainview 77-70 in the quarterfinals.
AUGUSTINE 56, TIOGA 36: The Indians could not overcome St. Augustine’s early hot shooting and fell in the first round of the Division I select playoffs Thursday. A 19-8 Purple Knight run in the fourth doomed Tioga, which had 22 turnovers in the contest. The Indians were led by 12 points from sophomore CJ Thomas.