ASOTIN — There were moments of hope that the Panther boys just might find the victory their home crowd craved to end the night, but Asotin basketball ultimately came out winless as it hosted Liberty of Spangle in a Northeast 2B League doubleheader.

The girls were on the wrong end of a 72-17 rout, while the boys fell 71-61.

Lancers outpace Panthers

The opening quarter of the boys game was a fast-paced blitz up and down the court that saw the teams near-deadlocked, trading leads on a minute-by-minute basis.

The Panthers (5-4, 1-3) held what would prove to be their largest advantage of the game at 19-15 after sophomore Cody Ells made a steal and drove in for a dunk, then snagged a loose ball and completed a fast-break layup. They would lead 21-20 heading into the second.

Ultimately, Liberty proved capable of maintaining its standard of play with little interruption, while slumps from Asotin in the closing minutes of both halves helped seal the Panthers’ fate.

Asotin would hold even at 32-points-apiece midway through the second, but suffered a series of miscues and turnovers in the last three minutes before halftime while Liberty (2-2, 2-1) continued its barrage of inside plays with baskets spread out fairly evenly between several players to lead 41-33.

Asotin cut the gap after intermission and repeatedly pulled back within a possession, but once again went cold in the last two minutes of regulation as the pressure to recoup the deficit led to mistakes that the Lancers capitalized on.

“We competed hard,” Asotin coach Justin Fraser said. “When you give up that many offensive boards and don’t do the little things like block them out, deny them passing lanes, that makes it tough.”

Olerich looms large

Standing 6-foot-7, Asotin junior AJ Olerich was the tallest player on court by a substantial margin and presented a solid frame that made him difficult to negotiate with in close. He scored nearly every time he got the ball in the opening quarter, piling up 10 points off post plays to power the Panthers’ early success.

After Olerich’s prodigious start, the Lancers zeroed in and began double-teaming him around the hoop, which succeeded in slowing his production.

“The double-team we expected, but give credit to them — they were efficient at it,” Fraser said. “They were defensively in the right spots, which made it difficult for us to execute after the double-team.”

Olerich still finished with a team-high 19 points for the Panthers, while Cody Ells had another 15. Jack Wilson of Liberty matched Olerich’s total with 19 points, teammate Lincoln Foland backed him up with 17 and Ethan Kimball and Thomas Domrese provided 14 apiece.

“We competed; we worked hard; we just came up a little short,” Fraser said.

Browne brings girls to life

The doubleheader had seen a truly demoralizing start as the Asotin girls (2-3, 1-2) headed into halftime down 42-3. The Panthers had a smattering of looks at the basket in the first two quarters, but found themselves continually bricking shots, while the Lancers (2-0, 2-0) connected from all over the court. Liberty’s athletes were a notch taller than Asotin’s, the Lancers’ bench was a shade longer and their greater varsity experience was evident.

In the third quarter, Cady Browne gave Asotin a long-awaited glimmer of offensive momentum, converting the first basket out of intermission for either team and adding another field goal along with a free throw before the frame was done.

“Cady is never afraid to rise to what we need her to do,” Asotin girls coach Kaitlin Whitmore said. “She can handle physicality, and she has a great drive and is able to either take it all the way to the basket or pull up for a little jumper. She brings a lot to our table with her versatility.”

Browne and Kelsey Thummel, the only two returners who played varsity for Asotin last season, would finish with six points apiece to head up their team’s scoring effort. Kendall Denny spearheaded the Lancers’ offense on the inside in the first half and finished with 13 points, while teammate Heidi Stout took over with a series of 3-pointers in the second half to lead all scorers with 14 points.

GIRLS

Liberty 72, Asotin 17

LIBERTY (2-0, 2-0)

Sadie Stout 1 0-0 2, Brenna Tiegs 2 0-0 4, Devyn Cook 1 0-2 2, Kendall Denny 6 1-1 13, Molly Domrese 2 0-1 5, Tyla Tiegs 4 0-0 8, Jordyn Jeske 1 4-4 6, Izzy Myers 2 1-2 5, Heidi Stout 5 0-0 14. Totals 29 7-13 72.

ASOTIN (2-3, 1-2)

Kelsey Thummel 2 2-2 6, Abby Ausman 1 1-2 3, Carly Browne 0 0-0 0, Ellie Smith 0 0-0 0, Cady Browne 2 2-5 6, Breona Walton 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 5-10 17.

Liberty 26 16 22 8—72

Asotin 3 0 9 5—17

3-point goals — H. Stout 4, Domrese.

————

BOYS

Liberty 71, Asotin 61

LIBERTY (2-2, 2-1)

Lincoln Foland 7 1-3 17, Jack Wilson 9 0-0 19, Thomas Domrese 7 0-0 14, Cooper Thomas 2 0-0 5, Jack Johnson 1 0-0 2, Ethan Kimball 4 4-5 14, Hunter Carter 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 5-8 71.

ASOTIN (5-4, 1-3)

Gavin Ells 3 0-0 8, Cody Ells 7 1-4 15, Sawyer Biery 2 4-5 9, Brady Moore 2 1-2 5, Sam Hall 2 0-0 4, Dylan Finney 0 0-0 0, AJ Olerich 8 3-5 19. Totals 24 9-16 61.

Liberty 20 21 12 18—71

Asotin 21 12 15 13—61

3-point goals — Foland 2, Kimball 2, Wilson, Thomas, Ells 2, Biery.