Lady Panthers end their rebuilding season with hope

The Lady Panthers ended the truncated 2020-21 season with a 43-32 loss to Nashville, but for Coach Alan Engelhardt this season has been all about preparing the team for the future.

"Even though you are disappointed every time you lose, I think this game showed how far that we have come from earlier in the season," he said in his postgame email.

"With 30 seconds to go, it was a seven-point game - after they had defeated us by 24 earlier in the year," he added.

Engelhardt credited Mo Morgenthaler with keeping the team afloat offensively, by hitting perimeter shots and using her pullup game.

"We got good shots for most of the game," he said. "Another step we will need to take by the time next season rolls around is getting more of them in the basket.

"I think the girls used this season to work to get better, and I hope they all come back to build on what we started."

The Lady Panthers finished the season 5-7 overall.

Scoring by team

Nashville: 11 14 07 11 43

Pinckneyville: 14 07 07 04 32

Scoring by player

Nashville: Alyssa Cole 9 5-6 25; Emily Schnitker 4 0-0 10; Jordan Donato 1 2-2 5; Halle Rueter 1 0-0 2; Talanie Kozuszek 0 1-2 1.

Pinckneyville: Mo Morgenthaler 6 0-1 15; Cheyenne Pauley 2 0-0 5; Emily Baggett 2 0-0 4; Emily Ruppert 1 1-2 3; Carly Heisner 1 0-0 2; Olivia Wiggers 0 2-2 2; Lily Tanner 0 1-2 1.