Panthers win third straight SCA Conference contest

The Mountain Grove Panthers’ basketball team is now on a three game wining streak after cruising to their third straight South Central Association (SCA) Conference win last week.
They opened play in Ava and pulled away from the Bears in the fourth quarter after making a 26-16 run for a 71-56 victory.
Kale Gardner scored six of his team’s 15 in the opening frame.
Both Brody Emery and Aden Estep had four points in the second to give the Panthers a 31-25 halftime edge.
After scoring eight points in the third, Kale Gardner hit three, 3-pointers in his 11-point final frame.
Estep added a pair of 3-pointers and scored 12 in the fourth quarter to help Mountain Grove pull away for the victory.
Kale Gardner had 28 points; Estep had 23; Emery 10; both Eli Golden and Bret Gardner had three points; while Dalton Shannon and Carson Gibson scored two points.
On Hoop Queen night against Cabool, the Panthers opened with a 27-11 run and never looked back in a 70-44 win.
The Panthers made six, 3-pointers in the big first quarter as Bret Gardner hit three of them and had 13 points.
Estep had five points as five different players scored in a 17-point second quarter for a 44-27 halftime lead.
Kale Gardner hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in the third while Emery added seven.
Mountain Grove would cruise from there to the easy 26-point win as they enjoyed a few dunks in the contest as well.
Bret Gardner scored 20 points; Emery had 18; Kale Gardner had 15; Estep nine; Brady Anderson sic points; and Golden two points.
The Panthers are now 10-12 overall,but are now 3-2 in the SCA Conference.