Bulldogs get bit by the Panthers, 49-41, coming off of Holiday Tournament

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[The Sparta Bulldogs were defeated by the Pinckneyville Panthers 49-41 on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009. In the interconference face-off the Panthers busted out to an early lead with which the Bulldogs could not recover from. This followed the Bulldogs 1-2 record at the Sesser-Vallier Holiday Tournament from Dec. 26-30. They were defeated 71-39 by Sesser-Valier and 68-46 by Waltonville. They beat Christopher 71-39. The Bulldogs have an overall record of 5-7 and a conference record of 1-2. Head Coach Greg Bass declared, "The second time through the conference, I think, is going to be much better in our favor."

The first quarter buzzer showed Sparta with a 3-point deficit, which would be the closest of the game. The score was 11-6, Panthers. Malcolm Oliver, 23, drilled a field goal from beyond the arc while Dartanus White, 1, hit one from inside. Jake Hargis, 10, hit one of his two free throw attempts. "We started with a completely different line-up," said Bass, "We had kids coming out tonight... [they were] coming off the bench working harder than we've seen them work all year."

The second half brought in 5-points for the 'Dogs while the Panthers took 12. Hargis hit two field goals from inside. Clay Peck, 4, hit one of two attempts from the foul line. The end of the second quarter showed the Panthers claiming the first half as theirs. The 'Dogs were outshot 20-11 in the first half. "There was a lot more determination tonight than I've seen all year," said Bass, "The more and more we practice it, the more and more we work at it... The better we are going to get."

In the third, White stepped up to the charity line and hit four of four shots. He would go on to shot 90% from the foul line. Peck hit a long range field goal while Hargis brought 2-points home from the inside. The third quarter end score was 35-20. "[There was] a lot more determination tonight than I've seen all year," Bass said.

The 'Dogs out scored the Panthers, 21-14 in the fourth. White took home high points in the final quarter, bringing home 12-points. He hit two 2-pointers and one long range shot all the while hitting five of six from the foul line. Helping the high scoring quarter was Blake Shelton, 3, drilling a shot from downtown and hitting two of two free throws. Hargis brought home a field goal while Oliver hit two of two shots from the charity line. The 'Dogs outshot the Panthers in the second half 30-29 but it was not enough. The final buzzer showed the 'Dogs down by 8, with a final score of 49-41.

"We got a tough test coming up Friday against Nashville. We're going to come out and make them guard us," stated Bass. "Obviously, Nashville's a heavy favorite. They're beating everyone's doors off. When you come in as the underdog, you have nothing better to do but win."